WO2019170152A1 - Connection assembly and slave operation device - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a connection assembly and a slave operation device. The connection assembly comprises multiple connection units connected in sequence, wherein at least two of the connection units form a rotatable joint assembly, and at least two of the joint assemblies are coupled and correspondingly rotated according to a coupling relationship; and when the coupled joint assemblies are rotated, the posture of the connection unit, at a remote end, in the coupled joint assemblies remains substantially unchanged.

Description

Connecting component and slave operating device

The present application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201810211359.1, filed on March 14, 2018, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Combined in this application.

Technical field

The present application relates to the field of minimally invasive surgery, and in particular to a connection assembly and a slave operation device.

Background technique

Minimally invasive surgery refers to a surgical procedure in which a modern medical device such as a laparoscope or a thoracoscope is used to perform surgery inside a human cavity. Compared with traditional surgical methods, minimally invasive surgery has the advantages of less trauma, less pain, and quicker recovery.

With the advancement of technology, minimally invasive surgical robot technology has matured and is widely used. The minimally invasive surgery robot usually includes a main operation console and a slave operation device for transmitting a control command to the slave operation device according to the doctor's operation to control the slave operation device, and the slave operation device is configured to respond to the control command sent by the master console. And carry out the corresponding surgical operation.

The operating device generally includes a mechanical arm for adjusting the position of the operating arm and an operating arm disposed on the mechanical arm for extending into the body and performing a surgical operation, wherein the operating arm has a connecting component for flexibility Perform a surgical procedure. However, the flexibility of the connection assembly from the operating device is currently poor, and the surgical robot is limited in some operations.

Summary of the invention

According to various embodiments of the present application, there is provided a connection assembly and a slave operation device capable of flexibly manipulating a distal surgical instrument during a surgical procedure.

A connection assembly includes a plurality of connection units connected in series, at least two of which form a rotatable joint assembly, and at least two of the joint assemblies are coupled and correspondingly rotated according to a coupling relationship, the coupled joint assembly When rotated, the attitude of the connecting unit at the distal end of the coupled joint assembly remains substantially unchanged.

A slave operating device includes:

An operating arm having a connecting assembly and an end instrument coupled to the connecting assembly, the connecting assembly including a plurality of connecting units sequentially connected, at least two of the connecting units forming a rotatable joint assembly, and At least two of the joint assemblies are coupled and rotate correspondingly according to the coupling relationship, and when the coupled joint assembly rotates, the posture of the connecting unit located at the distal end of the coupled joint assembly remains substantially unchanged;

a power mechanism connected to the operating arm for driving the operating arm;

A robot arm is coupled to the power mechanism for adjusting a position of the operating arm.

The above-mentioned connecting assembly is capable of translating the unit or the end device connected thereto without changing the posture of the distal connecting unit, thereby making the connecting assembly more flexible.

DRAWINGS

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings to be used in the embodiments or the prior art description will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only It is a certain embodiment of the present application, and those skilled in the art can obtain drawings of other embodiments according to the drawings without any creative work.

1 is a schematic structural view of an embodiment of a surgical robot of the present application;

2 and 3 are partial schematic views of different embodiments of the operating device according to the present application;

4 is a schematic structural view of an embodiment of an operating arm of the present application;

5 to FIG. 15 are schematic structural views of different embodiments of the connection assembly of the present application;

16 and FIG. 17 are schematic structural views of different embodiments of a joint assembly in a connection assembly of the present application;

18 is a schematic structural view of an embodiment of a connection unit of a connection assembly of the present application;

19 to 24 are schematic structural views of different embodiments of the connection assembly of the present application;

25 to 34 are schematic partial structural views of an embodiment of an operating arm of the present application.

Detailed ways

In order to facilitate the understanding of the present application, the present application will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of the present application are given in the accompanying drawings. However, the application can be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be more thorough and comprehensive.

It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "disposed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or the element may be present. When an element is considered to be "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or. When an element is considered to be "coupled" to another element, it can be directly coupled to the other element or the. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "left", "right", and the like, as used herein, are for the purpose of illustration and are not intended to be the only embodiment. As used herein, the terms "distal" and "proximal" are used as azimuth words, which are terms used in the field of interventional medical devices, where "distal" refers to the end away from the operator during surgery, and "proximal" refers to surgery. Approaching the operator's end during the process.

All technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention applies, unless otherwise defined. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments, and is not intended to be limiting. The term "and/or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 are respectively a schematic structural view of an embodiment of the surgical robot of the present application, and a partial schematic view of different embodiments of the operating device.

The surgical robot includes a main console 1000 and a slave operating device 2000. The main console 1000 is configured to send a control command from the operating device 2000 according to the operation of the doctor to control the slave operating device 2000, which is also used to display the image acquired from the device 2000. The slave operating device 2000 is responsive to the control commands sent by the master console 1000 and performs corresponding operations, and the slave operating device 2000 is also used to acquire images in the body.

Specifically, the slave operating device 2000 includes a robot arm 1, a power mechanism 2 disposed on the robot arm 2, an operating arm 3 disposed on the power mechanism 2, and a sleeve 4 sleeved with the operating arm 3. The mechanical arm 1 is used to adjust the position of the operating arm 3; the power mechanism 2 is used to drive the operating arm 3 to perform a corresponding operation; the operating arm 3 is used to extend into the body, and the surgical operation is performed by its distal end instrument 20, and / Or get in vivo images. Specifically, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the operating arm 3 is threaded through a sleeve 4 whose end instrument 20 extends out of the sleeve 4 and is driven by the power mechanism 2 to perform the operation. In Fig. 2, the region of the operating arm 3 located within the sleeve 4 is a rigid region; in Fig. 3, the region of the operating arm 3 within the sleeve 4 is a flexible region, and the sleeve is curved with the flexible region. In other embodiments, the sleeve 4 can also be omitted, in which case no sleeve is required.

In one embodiment, the plurality of operating arms 3 are disposed on the same power mechanism 2, and the distal ends of the plurality of operating arms 3 extend into the body through a slit in the human body to move the end device 20 to the lesion 3000. Surgery is performed nearby. Specifically, the power mechanism has a plurality of power units, and each of the power units is connected to an operating arm. In other embodiments, there are a plurality of power mechanisms, one of the operating arms 3 is disposed on each of the power mechanisms 2, and a plurality of operating arms extend into the body from a slit. At this time, the plurality of power mechanisms 2 can be disposed on one of the robot arms 1 Upper, it can also be provided on a plurality of robot arms 1. It should be noted that the plurality of operating arms 3 can also extend into the body from a plurality of slits, for example, two operating arms are inserted into each of the slits, and, for example, one operating arm is protruded into each of the slits.

In an embodiment, the slave operating device 2 further includes a stamping card for piercing the incision on the human body and fixedly disposed in the incision area, and the operating arm extends into the body through the stamping card.

As shown in FIG. 4, it is a schematic structural view of an embodiment of the operating arm 3 of the present application.

The operating arm 3 includes: an end device 20, a connecting assembly 10, a connecting rod 90 and a driving mechanism 91 which are sequentially connected, wherein the end device 20 is used for performing a surgical operation, and the connecting assembly 10 is used for changing the position and posture of the end device 20, and driving Mechanism 91 is used to drive connection assembly 10 and end instrument 20. In other embodiments, the link 90 can also be omitted, in which case the connection assembly is directly coupled to the drive mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 9 , it is a schematic structural diagram of different embodiments of the connection component of the present application.

The connection assembly 10 includes a plurality of connection units 100 that are sequentially connected. Wherein, the adjacent connecting unit 100 forms a rotatable joint assembly, the joint assembly includes a first joint assembly 210, and at least two first joint assemblies 210 are coupled, and the coupled first joint assembly 210 is correspondingly rotated according to the coupling relationship. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, when the coupled first joint assembly 210 is rotated, the posture of the distal joint unit 100 in the coupled first joint assembly 210 remains substantially unchanged, so that the unit connected thereto or The end instrument orientation remains the same, i.e., other units or end instruments that are coupled to the distal joint unit 100 in the coupled first joint assembly are translated with the distal connection unit.

In other embodiments, the joint assembly may also include a plurality of connection units, for example, three or four sequentially connected connection units form a joint assembly. Wherein, in the coupled joint assembly, each joint assembly has a different number of connecting units, for example, two joint assemblies are coupled, one joint assembly includes two connecting units, and the other joint assembly includes three connecting units.

The above-described connection assembly 10 makes the connection assembly 10 more flexible in that it can translate the unit or the end device connected thereto without changing the attitude of the distal connection unit 100.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the joint assembly includes two sets of first joint assemblies 210, each set having two coupled first joint assemblies 210, and the first joint assembly 210 coupled in each group has a parallel axis of rotation, two groups. The axes of rotation of the first joint assembly 210 are non-parallel to provide two degrees of freedom for the end instrument or unit to which the coupled first joint assembly 210 distal connection unit 100 is coupled. For example, the axes of rotation of the two sets of first joint assemblies 210 are orthogonal; or the axes of rotation of the two sets of first joint assemblies 210 are non-orthogonal. Wherein the two coupled first joint assemblies 210 in each group rotate in opposite directions and have the same angle.

The coupled first joint components can be arranged adjacently or at intervals. When the first joint assembly 210 includes two groups, the two sets of first joint assemblies 210 may be arranged in a cross or in sequence. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, in one embodiment, two first joint assemblies 210A coupled to each other in the first set are located between two first joint assemblies 210B coupled to each other in the second set. As shown in FIG. 8, in one embodiment, two first joint assemblies 210A coupled to each other in the first group and two first joint assemblies 210B coupled to each other in the second group are alternately arranged in sequence. In other embodiments, the first joint assembly 210 coupled to each other and the two first joint assemblies 210 coupled to each other in the second group may be sequentially arranged, that is, the first and second first joint assemblies. 210 is coupled, and the third and fourth first joint assemblies 210 are coupled (not shown).

In other embodiments, the number of groups of the first joint assembly 210 may also be other numbers, such as three groups, four groups, etc., wherein the rotation axes of the first joint assembly 210 in each group are different, so that the connection assembly 10 is made More flexible.

In other embodiments, the first joint assemblies 210 coupled in each group may also be other numbers, wherein the coupled first joint assemblies 210 rotate substantially the same in the direction of rotation. Specifically, the sum of the rotation angles of the first joint assemblies 210 of each of the forward rotations in each group is the same as the sum of the rotation angles of the first joint assemblies 210 of the opposite rotations, wherein the forward and reverse directions can be self-contained as needed. set up. For example, there are three first joint assemblies 210 coupled in each group, wherein the two first joint assemblies 210 are rotated in the forward direction, one first joint assembly 210 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the two forwardly rotating first joint assemblies 210 are rotated. The sum of the corners is the rotational angle of the first joint assembly 210 in the reverse direction, at which time the distal connecting unit 100 is the distally connected connecting unit 100 of the first joint assembly 210 that is rotated in the opposite direction.

The joint component can be either an active joint component or a follower joint component. In one embodiment, the coupled first joint assembly 210 includes an active joint assembly and a follower joint assembly, that is, at least one of the coupled first joint assemblies 210, at least one of which is an active joint assembly, and one of which is a follower joint assembly, wherein The joint assembly rotates to drive the follower joint assembly to rotate, and the follower joint assembly rotates according to the coupling relationship with the active joint assembly. For example, when a follower joint assembly is coupled to an active joint assembly, the two joint assemblies rotate at the same angle and in opposite directions. For another example, when the two active joint assemblies are coupled with a follower joint assembly, the two active joint assemblies rotate in the same direction, and the rotation angle of the follower joint assembly is the rotation angle of the two active joint assemblies. Sum. As another example, when two active joint assemblies are coupled to a follower joint assembly, the two active joint assemblies rotate in opposite directions, and the follower joint assembly turns to the same as one of the active joint assemblies. Wherein, the active joint assembly refers to a joint assembly that is rotated by a drive mechanism, and the follower joint assembly refers to a joint assembly that follows rotation due to active transfer rotation.

The coupled first joint components 210 can also all be active joint components. For example, the coupled first joint assembly 210 includes two coupled active joint assemblies, wherein the two active joint assemblies rotate at the same angle and in opposite directions. For another example, the coupled first joint assembly 210 includes three active joint assemblies, wherein the two active joint assemblies rotate in the forward direction, and one active joint assembly rotates in the reverse direction, wherein the rotational angle of the reversely rotating active joint assembly is two positive The sum of the angles of rotation of the rotating active joint assembly.

When the coupled first joint assembly 210 includes a follower joint assembly, in one embodiment, the joint assembly 10 further includes an adjustment joint assembly for compensating for rotation of the follower joint assembly to couple the first joint assembly The connection unit 100 at the distal end of the 210 is more accurately translated, wherein the adjustment joint assembly is an active joint assembly. It should be noted that the adjustment joint assembly can be coupled to the follower joint assembly or can be rotated independently of the follower joint assembly.

As shown in FIG. 9, it is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the connection component 10 of the present application.

The connection assembly 10 includes a plurality of connection units 100 that are sequentially connected, and adjacent connection units 100 form a rotatable joint assembly. Wherein, the joint assembly includes two coupled second joint assemblies 220, and the coupled second joint assemblies 220 rotate correspondingly according to the coupling relationship, and are both active joint assemblies. In this way, the movement can be made more precise and easy to control. In other embodiments, the joint assembly may also include more than three connecting units, which are not repeated here.

In one embodiment, the two second joint assemblies 220 that are coupled are angularly proportional and the direction of rotation is the same, thus simplifying the control of the connection assembly 10. In other embodiments, the two coupled second joint assemblies 220 may also have different directions of rotation. For example, the two second joint assemblies rotate in opposite directions; for example, the two second joint assembly rotation axes are non-parallel. Furthermore, the angle of rotation of the coupled second joint assembly can also be a functional relationship.

It should be noted that the coupled second joint components 220 may also be other numbers, for example, three or four, and the plurality of second joint assemblies 220 are all proportional to the rotation angle. Or a portion of the second joint assembly has the same rotation angle and is proportional to the rotation angle of the at least one second joint assembly.

As shown in FIG. 9, the second joint assembly 220 includes two sets, each set having two coupled second joint assemblies 220, and the second joint assemblies 220 coupled in each group rotate in the same direction, and the two sets of second joint assemblies 220 The axes of rotation are non-parallel to provide two degrees of freedom for the end instrument or unit to which the distal connection unit 100 in the coupled second joint assembly 220 is coupled. Like the first joint assembly 210, the second joint assembly 220 can also be in multiple sets such that the end instrument or unit has multiple degrees of freedom.

It should be noted that the coupled second joint components 220 may be disposed adjacent to each other or at intervals. When the second joint assembly 220 includes two groups, the two sets of second joint assemblies 220 may be sequentially arranged, that is, the two joint assemblies in the first group and the two second joint assemblies 220 in the second group are sequentially arranged. The two second components 220 in the first group in FIG. The assembly 220 is located between the two second joint assemblies 220 in the second set.

In one embodiment, the connection assembly 10 includes a plurality of connection units 100 that are sequentially connected, and at least two of the connection units 100 form a rotatable joint assembly. Therein, the joint assembly includes two first joint assemblies 210 coupled, and two second joint assemblies 220 coupled.

As shown in FIG. 10, each joint assembly includes two adjacent joint units 100, and the first joint assembly 210 is coupled into two groups, each set including two first joint assemblies 210, and the coupled second joint assembly 220 is Two groups, each set including two second joint assemblies 220. Specifically, the first joint assembly 210 is adjacent to the second joint assembly 220, and the adjacent first joint assembly 210 and the second joint assembly 220 are coupled to the same joint unit 100, that is, the first joint assembly 210 and the second joint assembly. 220 shares a connection unit 100 in an adjacent area. When the first joint assembly 210 is rotated, the position of the connecting unit 100 at the distal end of the coupled first joint assembly 210 remains substantially unchanged. For the related content of the first joint component 210 and the second joint component 220, including but not limited to the structure, the distribution and the quantity, please refer to the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

In this embodiment, the second joint assembly 220 is located at the distal end of the two first joint assemblies 210, that is, the distal joint unit 100 of the first joint assembly 210 at the distal end is the second joint assembly 220 at the proximal end. The proximal connection unit 100. Similarly, in other embodiments, the second joint assembly 220 can also be located at the proximal end of the first joint assembly 210. Alternatively, the second joint assembly 220 can also be located between the coupled first joint assemblies 210, at which point the distal and proximal connection units 100 of the first joint assembly 210 are shared with the second joint assembly 220. Alternatively, the two first joint assemblies and the two second joint assemblies are alternately arranged in sequence.

As shown in FIG. 11 , it is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the connection component 10 of the present application. The connection assembly 10 includes a plurality of connection units 100 that are sequentially connected, and the adjacent connection units 100 form a rotatable joint assembly 200. Wherein, the plurality of joint assemblies 200 form at least two coupled joint segments 300, and the plurality of joint segments 300 may be disposed adjacent to each other or at intervals. In other embodiments, the joint assembly may also include more than three connecting units, which are not repeated here.

When the joint assembly in the joint segment 300 is rotated, the distally connected unit 100 in the coupled joint segment 300 remains substantially unchanged, ie, the distally located joint assembly of the plurality of coupled joint segments, the distal end of which remains constant. Specifically, when the coupled joint segments are rotated, the sum of the rotational angles of the joint assemblies in each coupled joint segment in each direction is substantially the same.

In one embodiment, the joint segment has two swing directions and the two swing directions are orthogonal. That is, the joint assembly in the joint segment includes two groups, and the rotational axes of the two sets of joint assemblies are orthogonal so that the end instrument or other joint assembly connected to the distal end of the joint segment has two degrees of freedom. In other embodiments, the two swing directions may be non-orthogonal, or the joint direction may be a plurality of swing directions.

At least one of the coupled joint segments 300 includes two active joint assemblies 200. For example, two joint segments 300 are coupled, one of which includes two coupled second joint assemblies 220, and the other joint segment 300 includes two follower joint assemblies that are coupled to the two second joint assemblies 220, ie, The follower joint assembly and the corresponding second joint assembly rotate in opposite directions, and the rotation angle is the same. As another example, two joint segments 300 are coupled, one of which includes two coupled second joint assemblies 220, and the other joint portion 300 includes an active joint assembly and a follower joint assembly.

In the embodiment, when the coupled joint segment includes a follower joint assembly, in one embodiment, the joint assembly further includes an adjustment joint assembly to compensate for rotation of the follower joint assembly. The adjustment joint assembly can be located either in the joint segment with the follower joint or in the joint segment to which it is coupled.

It should be noted that, in an embodiment, the connecting component may also include only one joint segment, and the joint segment includes two second joint components, and the connecting component further includes a third joint component, a third joint component and a joint segment. When coupled so that the joint segment rotates, the attitude of the distal end of the third joint assembly remains unchanged. Specifically, the third joint assembly rotation angle is the sum of the rotation angles of the second joint assembly, and the rotation direction is opposite to the rotation direction of the second joint assembly.

12 to FIG. 14 are respectively schematic structural views of different embodiments of the connection assembly of the present application. The connection assembly 10 includes a plurality of connection units 100 connected in series and a main drive wire. Wherein, the adjacent connecting unit 100 forms a rotatable joint assembly, the joint assembly has an active joint assembly, and the main drive wire drives the active joint assembly to rotate. In other embodiments, the joint assembly may also include more than three connection units, which are not repeated here.

The main drive wire includes a first main drive wire 410A and a second main drive wire 410a. The distal end of the first primary drive wire 410A is disposed on a connection unit 100 at the distal end of the active articulation assembly 200A that it drives, and the proximal end is used to connect the drive mechanism to drive the active joint assembly 200A to rotate. The distal end of the second main drive wire 410a is disposed on the distal connection unit 100 in the active joint assembly 200a that it drives, and the proximal end is used to connect the drive mechanism. The connection unit 100 located at the distal end of the active joint assembly 200A does not include the connection unit 100 forming the active unit. Also, the active joint assembly 200A driven by the first main drive wire 410A is rotated independently of the remaining joint assemblies between the connection unit 100 in which the first main drive wire 410A is disposed and the connection unit 100 at the proximal end of the connection assembly 10.

It should be noted that the first main drive wire and the second main drive wire drive can also drive the same joint assembly, and the joint assembly has two degrees of freedom.

As shown in FIG. 12, in one embodiment, the proximal active joint assembly 200A is driven by a first primary drive wire 410A and the distal active joint assembly 200a is driven by a second primary drive wire 410a. Wherein, the rotating axes of the two active joint assemblies are arranged non-parallel, that is, the connecting assembly 10 has two degrees of freedom. Specifically, the distal ends of the first main driving wire 410A and the second main driving wire 410a are disposed on the connecting unit 100 of the distal active joint assembly 200a. When the proximal active joint assembly 200A rotates, it does not drive the distal active joint assembly 200a to rotate. Similarly, when the distal active joint assembly 200a rotates, the proximal active joint assembly 200A is not rotated. In other embodiments, the first main driving wire 410A and the second main driving wire 410a may also be disposed on different connecting units 100.

As shown in FIG. 13, in one embodiment, the connection assembly includes four connection units 100 connected in series, which form three active joint assemblies, and the active joint assembly 200A at the proximal end is driven by the first main drive wire 410A. The distal active joint assembly 200a is driven by the second main drive wire 410a. Wherein, the rotation axes of the plurality of active joint assemblies are arranged in parallel. Specifically, the first main drive wire 410A is disposed on the connection unit 100 at the distal end of the connection assembly 10, that is, on the distal connection unit 100 of the distal active joint assembly. When the first main drive wire 410A drives the proximal active joint assembly to rotate, the second main drive wire 420B locks the active joint assembly at the center and distal ends to rotate the proximal joint assembly independently of the other two joint assemblies.

It should be noted that the active joint components in the foregoing embodiments can be driven by the main drive wire. For example, the joint assembly includes two coupled first joint assemblies 210, both of which are active joint assemblies, and are driven by a first main drive wire 410A. As another example, the joint assembly includes two sets of first joint assemblies 210, each having two coupled first joint assemblies 210, and at least one of which is an active joint assembly, wherein the first set of first joint assemblies 210 The active joint assembly is driven by the first main drive wire 410A, and the active joint assembly of the second set of first joint assemblies 210 is driven by the second main drive wire 410a, and will not be described again herein.

As shown in FIG. 14, in one embodiment, the connector assembly 10 further includes a follower joint assembly 200B coupled to the at least one active joint assembly 200A, and a slave drive wire 420 that drives the follower joint assembly 200B. Specifically, the driving wire 420 is a fixed length driving wire, one end of which is disposed on the connecting unit 100 at the distal end of the follower joint assembly 200B, and the other end is disposed at the proximal end of the active joint assembly 200A coupled thereto. On unit 100.

In other embodiments, one end of the driven wire 420 may also be disposed on the connecting unit 100 at the distal end of the follower joint assembly 200B, and the other end may also be disposed on the connecting unit 100 at the proximal end of the active joint assembly 200A.

It should be noted that when the joint assembly includes three or more connecting units, the main driving wire and/or the connecting unit driven from the driving wire are sequentially driven and driven to rotate. As shown in FIG. 15, in an embodiment, the active joint assembly 200a includes three connecting units 100, and the main driving wire 410a for driving the rotation thereof is sequentially disposed with three connecting units 100 and disposed at the distal end of the active joint assembly 200a. On the connection unit 100. In other embodiments, an active joint assembly coupled to the follower joint assembly includes three connection units, at which point the drive unit of the follower joint assembly is disposed in the proximal or intermediate connection unit of the active joint assembly coupled thereto. on.

In one embodiment, the joint assembly is driven by two or three drive wires, ie each active joint assembly drives its rotation by two or three main drive wires, each driven joint assembly being driven by two or three slave drive wires Turn. Wherein, the driving wires for driving the same joint assembly are disposed on the same connecting unit 100, and the distal ends of the plurality of driving wires for driving the same active joint assembly as shown in FIG. 12 to FIG. 15 are all disposed on the same connecting unit 100. In the above, as shown in FIG. 14, the proximal ends of the plurality of driving wires for driving the same follower joint assembly are disposed on the same connecting unit 100, and the distal end is also disposed on the same connecting unit 100. In other embodiments, a plurality of drive wires that drive the same joint assembly may also be disposed on different connection units 100 as long as they are properly operated. It should be noted that the driving wire can drive the joint assembly to rotate by driving the connecting unit, or can drive the joint assembly to rotate by driving the rotating portion, wherein the rotating portion will be described in detail below.

16 to 17, which are schematic structural views of different embodiments of the joint assembly of the joint assembly 10 of the present application. The joint assembly 200 also includes a rotating portion 230 for connecting adjacent connecting units 100. Specifically, the rotating portion 230 includes two rotating shafts 231 and a connecting member 232 connecting the rotating shafts, and the two rotating shafts are respectively located on the adjacent two connecting units 100 connected thereto, so that the adjacent two connecting units 100 are It is rotated by the two rotating shafts 231. The rotating shaft 231 may be formed on the connecting unit or independently. In other embodiments, the connector 232 can also be omitted, in which case the connector 232 is not required. It should be noted that when the joint assembly includes a plurality of connecting units, the rotating portion is plural for connecting the plurality of connecting units.

The joint assembly 200 is more stable in rotation and has a longer life than a connecting assembly in which two adjacent connecting units are rotated by only one rotating shaft.

In other embodiments, the rotating portion may have only one rotating shaft, and at this time, the connecting member 232 is omitted. Alternatively, the partial rotation portion of the joint assembly has two rotation shafts, and the partial rotation portion has one rotation shaft.

In this embodiment, two rotating shafts 231 on two adjacent connecting units in the joint assembly are disposed in parallel. In other embodiments, the two rotating shafts 231 on two adjacent connecting units in the joint assembly may also be non-parallel, for example, the angle between the two rotating shafts 231 is 5 to 45 degrees. The non-parallelly disposed rotating shaft 231 further increases the range of motion of the connecting assembly 10.

The angle of rotation of the joint assembly 200 is the sum of the angles of rotation of the plurality of rotating shafts 231 in the joint assembly. In one embodiment, the joint assembly includes two connecting units, and the rotation angle of the joint assembly is the sum of the rotation angles of the two rotating shafts, wherein the two rotating shafts 231 rotate at the same angle, that is, when the joint assembly 200 rotates, each of them The rotation angle of the rotation shaft 231 is half the rotation angle of the joint assembly 200. In other embodiments, the two rotating shafts 231 connecting the adjacent two connecting units rotate at different angles of rotation.

When the joint assembly 200 includes two coupled first joint assemblies 210, and the first joint assembly 210 has two connecting units, the rotating shafts 231 of the two first joint assemblies 210 are coupled, and the two rotating shafts 231 are coupled. The angle of rotation is the same and the direction is opposite. Specifically, of the coupled first joint assembly, the proximal rotational axis 231 of the proximal joint assembly is coupled to the distal rotational axis 231 of the distal joint assembly, and the distal rotational axis 231 and distal joint of the proximal joint assembly The proximal rotational axis 231 of the assembly is coupled. When the joint assembly 200 includes two coupled second joint assemblies, and the second joint assembly 210 has two connecting units, the corresponding rotating shafts 231 of the two second joint assemblies are coupled, and the rotational axes of the coupled rotating shafts 231 are proportionally rotated. The same direction.

It should be noted that when a joint assembly is driven by a plurality of drive wires, if the joint assembly 200 is rotated, the lengths of the respective drive wires that drive the joint assembly 200 are the same. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the active joint assembly 200A is driven by two first main drive wires 410A, and when the first main drive wire 410A located above is shortened to rotate the rotary unit 100 toward the side, the first main lower portion is located The drive wire 410A is correspondingly elongated by the same length. Similarly, the lengths of the two drive wire assemblies 420 that drive the joint assembly 200B change the same as they rotate. In the present embodiment, the connecting member makes the distance between the two rotating shafts 231 constant, and the driving wires for driving the same joint assembly 200 are symmetrically disposed with respect to the connecting member.

As shown in FIG. 17, in one embodiment, the joint assembly 200 also has a stiffening shaft 240 that is coupled to the coupling unit 100 in the joint assembly 200. Wherein, the reinforcing shaft is formed on one of the connecting units 100 in the joint assembly 200, and the connecting unit 100 adjacent thereto has a groove matched thereto to be coupled thereto. In other embodiments, the reinforcement shaft 240 can also be a separate component.

In one embodiment, the at least one joint assembly has two or more degrees of freedom. For example, as shown in FIG. 19, two sets of coupled first joint assemblies include three joint assemblies, one of which is a follower joint assembly 200B having two degrees of freedom, and the other two joint assemblies being active joint assemblies. 200A, both have one degree of freedom, and the two active joint components rotate in a direction orthogonal. Both sets of coupled joint assemblies include the follower joint assembly, ie, the first set of joint assemblies includes an active joint assembly and a follower joint assembly, and the second set of joint assemblies includes another active joint assembly and follower joint assembly. The two sets of coupled joint components share the same follower joint assembly. When any one of the active joint assemblies rotates, they can rotate correspondingly. The follower joint assembly has two degrees of freedom, on the one hand, the length of the joint assembly 10 can be shortened, and On the one hand, due to its coupling with two active joint assemblies having one degree of freedom, it is also possible to ensure the rotational accuracy of the follower joint assembly. It should be noted that the joint assembly having two or more degrees of freedom may also be an active joint, wherein each movement of the degree is driven by a driving mechanism; or a joint assembly having two or more degrees of freedom At least one degree of freedom of motion is driven by the drive mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 18, the connecting unit 100 has a main body 110 and a connecting area 120 on the main body 110. The rotating part rotationally connects the connecting areas 120 of two adjacent connecting units 100 to rotate the joint assembly. In this embodiment, the main body 110 and the connecting portion 120 are integrally formed. In other embodiments, the main body 110 and the connecting portion 120 may also be non-integrally formed. For example, the connecting portion is welded to the main body or pasted on the main body. It should be noted that the lengths of the main bodies 110 of the connection units 100 may be the same or different. For example, among the two first joint assemblies 210 coupled, one of the first joint assemblies 210 has a length greater than that of the main body 110 of the other connecting unit 100, and the connecting unit 100 having a longer main body 110 length. It is a non-proximal connection unit 100 to increase the translation range of the distal end. In addition, the structures of the connection units 100 may be the same or different to suit different needs.

As shown in FIG. 20, in one embodiment, one of the connection units 101 is connected to the plurality of connection units 100. At this time, one end of the connection unit 101 has two connection areas 120, which are respectively connected to two. The connection areas of unit 100 are connected. When the connecting unit 101 is the connecting unit at the distal end of the coupled first joint assembly, the two connecting units connected to the distal end thereof remain unchanged when the coupled first joint assembly rotates.

As shown in FIG. 21 and FIG. 22, in other embodiments, the connection unit in the connection component may also omit the connection area 120. In this case, the connection unit may be a disk-shaped junction, and the plurality of connection units 100 are sequentially connected by a drive wire. Specifically, the connection assembly 10 includes a plurality of connection units 100 and a drive wire 400. Wherein, the driving wire 400 sequentially connects the plurality of connecting units 100, and at least two connecting units 100 form a bendable joint assembly 200. The joint assembly in Fig. 21 includes two connection units, and the joint assembly in Fig. 22 includes four connection units 100. The joint assembly 200 can include at least one of a first joint assembly, a second joint assembly, and a third joint assembly. The relevant content of each joint component is similar to the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

In the present embodiment, the active joint assembly 200a drives its rotation by the main drive wire 410a. Specifically, the distal end of the main drive wire 410a is disposed on the distal connection unit 100 of the active joint assembly 200a that is driven, the proximal end is used to connect the drive mechanism, and the main drive wire 410a is driven by the connection unit in the active joint assembly. 100 moves to drive the active joint assembly 200a to bend.

The follower joint assembly 200B drives its rotation by driving the wire 420. Wherein, the distal end of the driving wire 420 is disposed on the distal connecting unit 100 in the driven articulating joint assembly 200B, and the proximal end is disposed on the proximal connecting unit 100 in the active joint assembly 200a that drives the rotation thereof. The active joint assembly 200a that drives its rotation is located at the proximal end of the follower joint assembly 200B. When the follower joint assembly 200B is coupled to the plurality of active joint assemblies 200A, the proximal end of the drive wire 420 is disposed on the proximal active joint assembly of the plurality of active joint assemblies.

23 to 24 are respectively schematic structural views of different embodiments of the connection component of the present application. In one embodiment, the connection assembly further includes a skeleton 500 that connects the plurality of connection units 100 for maintaining a spacing between the plurality of connection units 100. As shown in FIG. 23, the skeleton 500 includes a flexible rod that is threaded through the plurality of connecting units 100 and that is bendable with the joint assembly 200. Specifically, the plurality of connecting units 100 are disposed on the flexible rod, and when the driving wire 400 drives the connecting unit to rotate, the flexible rod is bent with the connecting unit. Wherein, the plurality of connecting units can be fixedly connected with the flexible rod or can be movably disposed on the connecting rod to reduce the bending degree of the flexible rod while reducing the distance between the plurality of connecting units, thereby reducing the bending time. Resistance. In one embodiment, the skeleton comprises a steel wire similar to a flexible rod and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that, in an embodiment, the driving wire may also be a steel wire. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 24, the skeleton 500 includes an elastic member, and two ends of the elastic member are respectively connected to the adjacent two connecting units 100. Specifically, a plurality of elastic members are disposed between the adjacent two connecting units 100, and the plurality of elastic members are symmetrically disposed with respect to the axis of the connecting assembly. In this embodiment, two elastic members are disposed between the two connecting units.

25 and FIG. 26 are respectively partial schematic views of different embodiments of the present application. The driving mechanism 91 includes a driving portion 600 and a roller 610. The driving portion 600 drives the roller 610 to rotate, and the driving wire 400 is disposed on the roller 610 to drive the driving portion 600 to drive the connecting assembly to move. In other embodiments, the roller 610 in the drive mechanism may be omitted, and the drive wire is directly connected to the drive unit.

As shown in FIG. 25, in one embodiment, a driving portion 600 drives a roller 610 to rotate, and the roller 610 is provided with a plurality of driving wires. Specifically, the roller 610 has different diameter regions, and the diameters of the plurality of diameter regions are different, and each is provided with a driving wire, that is, a driving wire is wound around the diameter region. In this manner, a plurality of coupled joint assemblies can be driven to rotate, wherein the rotational angles of the plurality of coupled joint assemblies are proportional, such as to drive the second joint assembly. In other embodiments, a plurality of drive wires may also be provided on one diameter region to drive the corresponding joint assembly.

The driving wire 400 can be wound on the roller 610 clockwise or on the roller 610. In this embodiment, the driving wire 400 disposed on different diameter regions of the roller 610 is wound in different directions. When the roller 610 rotates, If the drive wire wound clockwise releases the length, the drive wire wound counterclockwise shortens the length. The length of the portion in which the release length command driving wire is wound around the roller 610 becomes shorter, and the length of the non-wound portion becomes longer; the length of the portion where the shortening length command driving wire is wound around the roller 610 becomes longer, and the length of the non-wound portion becomes shorter. For example, the two coupled first joint components are active joint assemblies, the drive wires are wound around the same diameter region of the roller, and the winding directions are opposite, and when the driving wire drives the two first joint assemblies to rotate, the two One joint assembly has the same angle of rotation and the opposite direction. For another example, a joint assembly is driven by two drive wires, which are wound around the same diameter region of the roller, and the winding direction is opposite. At this time, when the joint assembly rotates, the two drive wires are elongated one by one to shorten Ensure its stable rotation.

As shown in FIG. 26, in one embodiment, one drive unit 600 drives a plurality of rollers 610 to rotate, and the plurality of rollers 610 have the same rotational direction and the rotational axes are parallel. The driving part 600 drives the plurality of rollers 610 to rotate through the transmission component 620. Specifically, the transmission component 620 is a gear mechanism, and the end of each driving part 600 is connected with one main gear of the transmission component 620 to drive and The main gear meshes from the gear and the gear is coupled to the roller 610 to drive the roller to rotate. In other embodiments, the plurality of rollers 610 driven by the same driving portion 600 may also have opposite rotation directions, and the rotation axes of the plurality of rollers 610 may also be non-parallel, or the partial parallel portions may be non-parallel.

The above-mentioned driving mechanism simplifies the control of the connecting assembly 10, and makes the internal structure of the driving mechanism more compact, reducing the volume of the driving mechanism.

FIG. 27 is a partial structural diagram of an embodiment of the present application. The operating arm 3 comprises: an end device 20, a connecting assembly 10 and a first driving unit 30. Wherein the distal end of the distal instrument 20 is for performing an operation, the proximal end is rotationally coupled to the distal end of the connection assembly 10; the distal end of the first drive unit 30 is coupled to the distal end instrument 20 and drives the end instrument 20 to rotate relative to the attachment assembly 10 to The end instrument 20 is rotated substantially in the axial direction of the first drive unit 30, that is, the rotational axis of the end instrument is coaxial or parallel with the first drive unit; the connection assembly is the connection assembly of any of the above embodiments.

In the present embodiment, the first driving unit 30 passes through the connecting assembly 10 along the axial direction of the connecting assembly 10 and is bendable with the connecting assembly 10. For example, the first driving unit 30 is an elastically bendable steel rod; for example, the first driving unit 30 is a steel rod in which a plurality of steel wires are woven or wound. When the first drive unit 30 is rotated, the end instrument 20 connected thereto rotates therewith. In other embodiments, the first driving unit may also be other structures.

As shown in FIGS. 28 to 30, the operating arm 3 further includes a driving gear set 40 whose driving gear 41 is fixedly disposed at the distal end of the first driving unit 30, and the driven gear 42 drives the end instrument 20 to rotate. When the first drive unit 30 rotates, it drives the drive gear 41 to rotate, thereby driving the driven gear 42 to rotate to drive the end instrument to rotate.

Specifically, the driving gear set 40 in FIG. 28 is a planetary gear mechanism, and the rotating shafts of the respective gears are parallel to the distal end of the first driving unit 30, wherein the driving gear 41 is a sun gear, and the driven gear 42 is a planetary gear, a gear ring. 43 is disposed on the connecting unit 100 at the distal end of the connecting component 10, or a gear ring is disposed in the connecting unit 100 at the distal end, that is, the connecting unit 100 has a gear ring structure. The driven gear 42 is fixedly disposed with the end instrument 20 such that the end instrument 20 rotates with the driven gear 42. In the present embodiment, the plurality of driven gears 42 are symmetrically disposed with respect to the driving gear 41, and the driving gear 41 is coaxial with the first driving unit 30. In other embodiments, the driven gear may also be only one.

Each of the gears in the drive gear set 40 of FIG. 29 is a bevel gear, wherein the drive gear 41 is coaxial with the distal end of the first drive unit 30, and the rotational axis of the first driven gear 42A is perpendicular to the drive gear 41, and second The rotating shaft of the driven gear 42B is parallel or coaxial with the driving gear 41, and the end instrument 20 is fixedly disposed on the second driven gear 42B. Specifically, the first driven wheel 42A is plural and symmetrically disposed with respect to the driving gear 41. The second driven gear 42B is one, and meshes with the plurality of first driven gears 42A, and the driving gear 41 drives the first driven gear. When the 42A rotates, the first driven gear 42A drives the second driven gear 42B to rotate, thereby driving the end instrument 20 to rotate. In other embodiments, the second driven gear may also be multiple, and the plurality of second driven gears jointly drive the end instrument.

As shown in FIG. 30, in an embodiment, the second driven gear may be omitted. At this time, the rotation axis of the end instrument 20 is parallel or coaxial with the rotation axis of the first driven gear 42A, and the rotation of the driving gear 41. The axis is vertical. Specifically, the first driving unit 30 includes a driving rod 31 and an instrument driving wire 32. Wherein, the driving rod 31 is disposed on the driving gear at one end and the other end is rotatably disposed on the connecting component; the instrument driving wire 32 extends along the connecting component 10, the distal end thereof is disposed on the driving rod 31, and the proximal end is disposed on the driving mechanism, The driving rod 31 is driven to rotate, thereby driving the driving gear 41 to rotate. For example, the distal end of the instrument driving wire 32 is wound around the driving rod 31.

As shown in FIG. 28, the end instrument 20 includes a connecting portion 21 and two clamping portions 22 disposed on the connecting portion 21, wherein the connecting portion 21 is connected to the distal end of the connecting assembly 10, and the clamping portion 21 is configured to perform the corresponding operating. In the present embodiment, the connecting portion 21 is connected to the connecting assembly 10 via the driving gear set 40. Specifically, the connecting portion is fixedly connected to the driven gear, wherein the connecting portion 21 is a disc-shaped structure, and the disc-shaped structure is provided with a fixing protrusion for fixed connection with the driven gear. In other embodiments, the connecting portion may also be a connecting rod structure, one end of which is driven by the driven gear, and the other end of which is disposed on the clamping portion.

Further, the operating arm 3 further includes a second driving unit 50 for driving the end instrument 20 to open and close. Specifically, the second drive unit 50 is threaded through the connection assembly 10 with its distal end coupled to the end instrument 20. In this embodiment, the first driving unit 30 has a hollow structure and has a receiving cavity. The second driving unit 50 is disposed in the receiving cavity 30, that is, the connecting component 10, the first driving unit 30, and the second. The drive unit 50 is sequentially sleeved. At this time, the proximal end of the clamping portion 22 is provided with a sliding slot 23, and both sliding slots are sleeved with the distal end of the second driving unit to drive the two clamping portions to open when the second driving unit moves in the axial direction. Or closed.

In one embodiment, the first driving unit and the second driving unit are both driving rods, and the driving rods are all bendable with the connecting assembly. In other embodiments, the second driving unit may also be a driving wire, and the clamping portion is provided with a reset mechanism to reset the driving wire after it is opened or closed.

31 and FIG. 32 are respectively partial schematic structural views of different embodiments of the operating arm of the present application. The operating arm 3 includes an end device 20, a connecting assembly 10, and a first driving unit 30. The end device 20 is provided with a spiral groove 24, and the end instrument 20 is rotatably connected with the connecting component 10; the distal end of the first driving unit 30 is received in the spiral groove 24 to drive the end instrument 20 to rotate, so that the end device 20 is substantially along The axial rotation of the distal end portion of the first drive unit 30. Specifically, as the first drive unit 30 moves in the axial direction, its distal end slides within the helical groove 24 and drives the end instrument 20 to rotate.

The end instrument 20 includes a connecting portion 21 and two holding portions 22 provided on the connecting portion. The connecting portion has a columnar structure and a connecting plate, and the connecting plate is connected to the distal end of the connecting component 10. The spiral groove 24 is opened on the columnar structure of the connecting portion 21, so that the connecting portion is driven to rotate by the first driving unit 30; The portion 22 is disposed on the connecting portion 21 and rotates with the connecting portion 21.

As shown in FIG. 31, in an embodiment, the connecting portion 21 is sleeved with the first driving unit 30 to cause the first driving unit to drive the connecting portion to rotate. For example, the spiral groove 24 is a through groove so that the distal end of the first driving unit 30 protrudes from the inside of the connecting portion 21 and is received in the spiral groove 24. For another example, the spiral groove is disposed on the inner surface of the connecting portion, and the distal end of the first driving unit is received in the spiral groove.

As shown in FIG. 32, in one embodiment, the first drive unit 30 drives its rotation from the exterior of the end instrument 20. Specifically, the first driving unit 30 is a driving rod whose distal end extends from the outside of the connecting portion 21 into the sliding slot 24 of the connecting portion, and the axial direction of the first driving unit 30 is parallel to the rotational axis of the end instrument 20 At this time, the spiral groove is disposed on the outer surface of the connecting portion or is a through groove structure.

In the above embodiment, the first driving unit 30 is a driving rod, and the distal end thereof is bent to be received in the spiral groove. In other embodiments, the first driving unit may also have other structures. As shown in FIG. 33, in an embodiment, the first driving unit 30 includes a slider 33, a connecting wire, and a first driving unit main body 35 which are sequentially connected. The slider 33 is received in the spiral groove 24. When the first driving unit main body 35 pulls the slider 33 toward the proximal end in the axial direction, the connecting wire is tensioned, and the end instrument is driven to rotate by the slider 33. At this time, the operating arm further includes a resetting member 60 connected to the slider 33. After the main body 35 of the first driving unit pulls the slider 33 to the proximal end, when the slider 33 needs to be moved distally, the resetting member 60 makes the slider Move towards the far end. In this embodiment, the reset member is a spring. Specifically, one end of the spring is disposed on the connecting assembly, and one end is disposed on the slider. When the slider moves toward the proximal end, the spring is compressed.

It should be noted that the first driving unit may also omit the first driving unit main body, and at this time, the connecting rod drives the slider to move toward the proximal end. In addition, in other embodiments, the connecting wire may also be omitted, and the slider is directly disposed on the main body of the first driving unit.

The operating arm further includes a second driving unit for driving the opening and closing of the end instrument, the structure of which is the same as that of the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 31 to FIG. 33, the second driving unit does not need to be provided with the first driving unit, and is disposed side by side with the first driving unit.

FIG. 34 is a schematic structural view of an embodiment of an operating arm of the present application.

The operating arm 3 includes an end instrument 20, a connecting assembly 10, and a rotary drive wire 70. Wherein, the distal end of the connecting assembly 10 is rotatably coupled to the end instrument 20; one end of the rotational driving wire 70 is wound around the end instrument 20, and one end is used to connect the driving mechanism to drive the end instrument 20 to rotate relative to the connecting assembly 10. When the drive mechanism drives the rotary drive wire 70 to move in the axial direction of the coupling assembly 10, the rotary drive wire 70 drives the end instrument 20 to rotate. For example, the end instrument 20 rotates in the axial direction of the connection assembly 10.

The end device 20 includes a connecting portion 21 and a clamping portion 22, wherein the connecting portion 21 is rotatably connected to the distal end of the connecting assembly 22, and the rotary driving wire 70 is wound around the connecting portion 21; the clamping portion 22 is disposed on the connecting portion 21. To rotate with the connecting portion 21. Specifically, the side wall of the distal connecting unit is provided with a groove, and the edge of the connecting portion 21 is received in the groove and slides along the groove to rotate the connecting portion relative to the connecting unit 100. For example, the connecting portion 21 has a land 21A and a winding member 21B provided on the land 21A. The periphery of the land is received in the groove, and the rotary driving wire 70 is wound around the wire.

The operating arm 3 also includes a pulley 80 that is stationary relative to the distal end of the connecting assembly 10. For example, the pulley 80 is disposed on the connecting unit at the distal end of the connection assembly 10. The pulley 80 is disposed adjacent to the end instrument 10, and the rotational axis of the pulley 80 is perpendicular to the rotational axis of the end instrument 10, that is, perpendicular to the rotational axis of the connecting portion 21, so that the rotational driving wire 70 extending along the connecting assembly is redirected and wound at the end. On the connection of the instrument.

In this embodiment, there are two pulleys 80 and one rotating driving wire. The rotating shafts of the two pulleys 80 are parallel, and the two ends of the rotating driving wire 70 respectively pass through the two pulleys 80 to drive the connecting portion 21 of the end device 20. Rotate forward or reverse along its axis of rotation. In other embodiments, the driving wires may also be two. The two driving wires are all disposed on the driving mechanism at one end, and the other end is fixedly disposed on the end device, and the two driving wires respectively pass through corresponding ones of the two pulleys.

In other embodiments, the pulleys may be of other numbers; or the pulleys may be omitted, in which case the rotary drive wire extending to the end instrument is wound directly onto the joint.

In one embodiment, the operating arm further includes a second drive unit for driving the end instrument 20 to perform an operation, the distal end of which is coupled to the end instrument and the second drive unit is threaded through the connection assembly. The second driving unit is similar in structure to the second driving unit in the foregoing embodiments, and is not repeated herein. It should be noted that the second driving unit pierces the region where the end instrument is wound around the rotating driving wire, that is, the connecting portion is pierced.

The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. For the sake of brevity of description, all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are not described. However, as long as there is no contradiction between the combinations of these technical features, All should be considered as the scope of this manual.

The above-mentioned embodiments are merely illustrative of several embodiments of the present application, and the description thereof is more specific and detailed, but is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the claims. It should be noted that a number of variations and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims (20)

1. A connection assembly comprising a plurality of connection units connected in series, at least two of which form a rotatable joint assembly, and at least two of the joint assemblies are coupled and correspondingly rotated according to a coupling relationship, the joints being coupled When the assembly is rotated, the attitude of the connecting unit at the distal end of the coupled joint assembly remains substantially unchanged.
2. The connection assembly of claim 1 wherein the coupled joint assemblies are disposed adjacent to each other or spaced apart.
3. The joint assembly of claim 1, the joint assembly comprising two sets, each set comprising two coupled joint assemblies, the sets of rotation axes of the joint assemblies being non-parallel.
4. The connection assembly of claim 3 wherein the axes of rotation of the two sets of joint assemblies are orthogonal.
5. The connection assembly of claim 1 wherein the coupled joint assembly rotates with substantially the same sum of the rotational angles in each direction.
6. The connection assembly of claim 1, wherein the coupled joint assembly includes an active joint assembly and a follower joint assembly, the active joint assembly rotationally driving the follower joint assembly to rotate.
7. The connection assembly of claim 6 wherein one of said follower joint assemblies is coupled to one of said active joint assemblies, said two joint assemblies having the same angle of rotation and opposite directions.
8. The connection assembly of claim 6 wherein the coupled joint assembly comprises two follower joint assemblies.
9. The joint assembly according to claim 6, wherein said joint assembly includes one of said follower joint assembly and two of said active joint assemblies, said two active joint assemblies having the same direction of rotation, and said follower joint assembly The direction of rotation is reversed.
10. The connection assembly of claim 6 further comprising an adjustment joint to compensate for rotation of the follower joint, the adjustment joint being an active joint.
11. The connection assembly of claim 1 , wherein the coupled joint assembly includes two coupled active joint assemblies, the two of the active joint assemblies having the same angle of rotation and opposite directions.
12. The connection assembly of claim 1 wherein three active joint assemblies are coupled, one of said active joint assemblies being rotated in opposite directions from the other two of said active joint assemblies.
13. The joint assembly of claim 1 , the joint assembly comprising an active joint assembly, the joint assembly further comprising a main drive wire for driving the active joint assembly;

    And/or, the joint assembly includes a follower joint assembly, the connection assembly further including a slave drive wire for driving the follower joint assembly.
14. The connection assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one of said joint assemblies has two or more degrees of freedom.
15. The connection assembly of claim 1 wherein said coupling unit at the distal end of said coupled joint assembly is for connection with at least two units or end instruments.
16. The joint assembly of claim 1 , the joint assembly comprising two first joint assemblies coupled, and two second joint assemblies coupled, the first joint assembly being adjacent to the second joint assembly, And the adjacent first joint component and the second joint component are coupled to the same connecting unit, and when the coupled first joint component rotates, the first joint component of the coupled joint is located at the distal end The posture of the connecting unit remains substantially unchanged.
17. The connection assembly of claim 16 wherein the two coupled second joint assemblies are rotated in the same direction and the angle of rotation is proportional.
18. The connection assembly of claim 17 wherein said second joint assemblies are all active joint assemblies.
19. The connection assembly of claim 18, further comprising a main drive wire for driving the coupled main drive wire of the second joint assembly for connection to the same drive mechanism.
20. A slave operating device comprising:

    An operating arm having a connecting assembly and an end instrument coupled to the connecting assembly, the connecting assembly including a plurality of connecting units sequentially connected, at least two of the connecting units forming a rotatable joint assembly, and At least two of the joint assemblies are coupled and rotate correspondingly according to the coupling relationship, and when the coupled joint assembly rotates, the posture of the connecting unit located at the distal end of the coupled joint assembly remains substantially unchanged;

    a power mechanism connected to the operating arm for driving the operating arm;

    A robot arm is coupled to the power mechanism for adjusting a position of the operating arm.

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