WO2023085902A1

WO2023085902A1 - Spherical joint device for position control of surgical tool

Info

Publication number: WO2023085902A1
Application number: PCT/KR2022/017973
Authority: WO
Inventors: 공덕유; 양운제; 이동호
Original assignee: 주식회사 로엔서지컬
Priority date: 2021-11-15
Filing date: 2022-11-15
Publication date: 2023-05-19
Also published as: KR20230071793A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a spherical joint device for position control of a surgical tool and, to a spherical joint device for position control of a surgical tool, the device controlling the two-degree-of-freedom movement position of an end effect by a spherical joint. To this end, disclosed is a spherical joint device for position control of a surgical tool, the device comprising: a rigid or flexible tube portion; a spherical joint portion disposed in a distal end region of the tube portion to be rotatable according to the traction of a driving wire; a plurality of spherical driving wires which pull the spherical joint portion; and an end effect portion which is directly or indirectly coupled to the spherical joint portion and operates according to the traction of the driving wires, and the position of which is controlled by the rotation of the spherical joint portion.

Description

Spherical joint device for position control of surgical tools

The present invention relates to a spherical joint device for controlling the position of a surgical tool, and more particularly, to a spherical joint device for controlling the position of a surgical tool that controls the 2DOF movement position of an end effect by means of a ball joint.

A joint for movement with 1 degree of freedom or 2 degrees of freedom used in a conventional overtube or flexible surgical instrument may be formed of a rolling joint and has a joint length of 11 as shown in FIG. 1 . When the length of the joint is long, the displacement for the same amount of manipulation is larger than when the length of the joint is short (l=rθ). When the manipulation displacement is large, the length of the joint inevitably becomes longer, and furthermore, an offset between rotational axes inevitably occurs.

Therefore, it is necessary to develop a joint device capable of controlling two-degree-of-freedom movement in which the length of a joint is shortened and an offset between rotational axes does not occur.

Korean Patent Registration No. 10-141312 discloses a technical idea for a ball joint and a delta robot equipped with balls for reducing friction.

Accordingly, the present invention has been created to solve the problems described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a joint device capable of controlling two-degree-of-freedom movement without an offset between axes of rotation and shortening the length of a joint.

However, the objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

An object of the present invention described above is a rigid or flexible tube portion, a sphere joint portion disposed to be rotatable in accordance with the pulling of a driving wire in a distal end region of the tube portion, a plurality of sphere drive wires pulling the sphere joint portion, and direct or indirect spherical joint portions It can be achieved by providing a spherical joint device for controlling the position of a surgical tool, characterized in that it includes an end-effect unit that is optimally coupled and operated according to the traction of the driving wire and whose position is controlled by rotation of the spherical joint unit.

In addition, one end of the plurality of spherical driving wires is coupled and fixed to each fixing point formed on the surface of the spherical joint, and at least one of the plurality of fixing points is on a different plane with respect to the other fixing points based on a virtual reference line. located on top

In addition, the plurality of spherical driving wires include a first spherical driving wire in which one end of a first fixing point formed in the spherical joint part is fixedly coupled to the proximal end region along the inside of the tube part, and a second fixing point separated from the first fixing point by a predetermined distance. A second spherical drive wire, one end of which is fixedly coupled to the point and disposed extending to the proximal end region along the inside of the tube portion, and a third anchor point located on a plane different from each other with respect to the imaginary reference plane with respect to the first and second anchor points. It includes a third spherical driving wire having one end fixedly coupled thereto and extending to the proximal end region along the inside of the tube portion.

In addition, wire insertion grooves or wire insertion lumens are formed inside the tube unit so that a plurality of spherical driving wires are arranged and fixed along the length direction of the tube unit.

In addition, wire guide grooves are formed on the surface of the ball joints along a wire placement path from the fixing point to the wire insertion groove or the distal end of the wire insertion lumen, respectively.

In addition, the spherical driving wire disposed along the surface of the spherical joint part from the fixing point is inserted into the tube part through the wire insertion groove.

The ball joint may further include a rolling joint disposed at a front end of the ball joint to enable movement of the end effect unit with one degree of freedom or two degrees of freedom, and the length of the ball joint is relatively shorter than that of the ball joint.

According to the present invention as described above, the length of the joint is shortened, and there is an effect of providing a joint device capable of controlling two-degree-of-freedom movement without offset between rotational axes.

The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and together with the detailed description of the present invention serve to further understand the technical idea of the present invention, the present invention is limited to those described in the drawings. It should not be construed as limiting.

1 shows an overtube or flexible tube according to the prior art;

2 is a view showing a flexible tube including a ball joint according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a view showing a flexible tube including a ball joint and a rolling joint according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a view showing that a ball joint is jointly coupled to a flexible tube according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a view showing the rotation angle of the joint according to the position of the wire fixing point according to an embodiment of the present invention,

6 and 7 are views showing that at least one fixed point is on a different plane around a virtual reference line than other fixed points according to an embodiment of the present invention;

8 is a view showing that there are four wire anchoring points according to an embodiment of the present invention, and at least one anchoring point is on a different plane around a virtual reference line than other anchoring points,

9 is a diagram illustrating that at least one fixed point is on a different plane with a virtual reference line as a center compared to other fixed points according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the embodiment described below does not unduly limit the contents of the present invention described in the claims, and the entire configuration described in the present embodiment cannot be said to be essential as a solution to the present invention. In addition, descriptions of matters obvious to prior art and those skilled in the art may be omitted, and descriptions of these omitted components (methods) and functions may be sufficiently referred to within the scope not departing from the technical spirit of the present invention.

A spherical joint device for position control of a surgical tool according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a tube 100 and a spherical joint 120 rotatably coupled to a distal end of the tube 100 as shown in FIG. 2 . . The tube may be a flexible tube as shown in FIG. 2 or a rigid tube. A spherical joint 120 is rotatably coupled to the distal end of the flexible tube 100, and a grasper 11 as an end effect is directly or indirectly coupled to the joint surface of the spherical joint 120.

In the case of the flexible tube 100, in order to control the position of the grasper 11, the first,

.,4 drive wire (111,

.,114) is disposed along the wire guide groove provided inside the flexible tube 100. That is, one end of the first driving wire 111 is fixed to the distal end of the flexible tube 100 and the other end is fixed to the first capstan 131 . Similarly, the second, third and

fourth driving wires

112 , 113 and 114 have one end fixed to the distal end of the flexible tube 100 and the other ends fixed to the second, third and

fourth capstans

132 , 133 and 134 . In addition, one end of the fifth driving wire 115 is fixed to the grasper 11 and the other end is fixed to the fifth capstan 135 to control the operation of the grasper 11 . Therefore, the controller (not shown) directly or indirectly drives each capstan through the motor M, thereby driving the wire 111,

.,115) can be pulled or released. In this way, in the case of the flexible tube 100 , one degree of freedom or two degree of freedom movement control of the grasper 11 is possible, and furthermore, position control is possible through the spherical joint part 120 .

In the case of the rigid tube, since the tube is a rigid body, no drive wire is disposed, and the position of the grasper 11 can be controlled through the spherical joint 120 provided at the distal end of the rigid tube.

So far, it has been described that the position of the grasper 11 is controlled by the driving wire, but it should be clarified in advance that the means for controlling the position of the grasper 11 is not necessarily limited to the wire. For example, a shaft, a thin and long plate, or the like may be used instead of a wire.

As shown in FIG. 3, the spherical joint device for position control of a surgical tool is rotatably coupled to a tube 200, a rolling joint 210 disposed in one area of the tube 200, and a distal end of the tube 200. It includes a spherical joint 220. In this case, the tube may be a flexible tube or a rigid tube as described in FIG. 2 .

A spherical joint 220 is rotatably coupled to the distal end of the tube 200, and a rolling joint 210 is disposed at the front end of the spherical joint 220. The length l2 of the roll joint 210 can be selected within an appropriate range, and the roll joint 210 can be a joint capable of moving in one degree of freedom as shown in FIG. 3 or, although not shown in the drawings, capable of moving in two degrees of freedom. Joints can be placed. The 2-DOF rolling joint can be implemented by changing the direction between each joint of the 1-DOF rolling joint by 90 degrees.

1st,

.,5 drive wire (211,

.,215) is described in the above-described first,

.,5 drive wire (111,

., 115) will be replaced with the explanation.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the spherical joint 320 according to one embodiment of the present invention is rotatably coupled in the distal end region of the tube 310 according to the driving of the wire. At this time, a friction reducing unit such as a bearing for facilitating rotation may be inserted into a contact surface between the tube 310 and the spherical joint 320 .

The spherical joint 320 is a joint formed in a spherical shape, and its cross section may be, for example, a “circular or elliptical” shape. In the case of a spherical joint, the length of the joint can be shortened compared to the conventional joint shown in FIG. 1, and 2DOF movement without offset between rotational axes is possible. In particular, in the case of a spherical joint, there is an advantage of being able to control the position of two degrees of freedom while shortening the length of the joint.

As shown in FIG. 4, the spherical joint device for position control of a surgical tool according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of spherical driving wires 321 to control the position of the spherical joint part 320;

.,323). At this time, a plurality of spherical driving wires (32 1,

.,323) is preferably at least three.

Therefore, as shown in Figure 4, the first,

.,3 sphere drive wire (32 1,

., 323) are respectively fixed to the surface of the spherical joint 320, and the other ends are respectively fixed to the capstan 330. Accordingly, when the motor is operated by the driving of the controller (not shown), the first,

.,3 sphere drive wire (321,

.,323) can control the two-degree-of-freedom movement of the grasper 11 by being pulled or released. 1st,

.,3 sphere drive wire (321,

.,323) may be simultaneously pulled with the same traction force, and the traction force acting on any one wire and the traction force acting on the other two wires may be controlled differently. In addition, the traction force acting on each spherical driving wire may be differently controlled.

At least 3 sphere drive wires (321,

., 323) in the case of controlling the position of the spherical joint 320, as shown in FIG. 4, the first,

.,3 wire fixing point (321a,

.,323a) is formed on the surface of the spherical joint part 320.

As shown in FIG. 5, as an example, the position of the wire fixing point is the rotation angle when fixed to the second point (

2) Rotation angle when fixed at the first point (

1) is larger. Accordingly, when the ball drive wire is pulled, the movement of the ball joint at the first fixed point may be greater than the movement of the ball joint at the second fixed point. Therefore, when selecting the positions of at least three fixing points, it may be desirable to select them in consideration of the degree of motion of the spherical joint 320 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , for example, the first spherical driving wire 321 is inserted into a wire insertion groove 310a or a wire insertion lumen (not shown) provided in the longitudinal direction inside the tube 310 . The second and third

spherical driving wires

322 and 323 are similarly inserted into respective wire insertion grooves (not shown). In addition, at the distal end of the tube 310, for example, the first spherical drive wire 321 disposed along the wire guide groove 320a formed on the surface of the spherical joint 320 is inserted into the tube 310. A wire passage groove 320b is formed. The wire passing groove 320b is provided at the distal end of the tube 310 to match the number and position of the spherical driving wires.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 9 , it is preferable that at least one of the wire fixing points is disposed on a different plane. As an example, as shown in FIG. 6, the first and second

wire anchoring points

411 and 412 and the third wire anchoring point 413 of the spherical joint 410 are formed on different planes based on a virtual reference line. desirable.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, it is preferable that the first and second

wire anchoring points

511 and 512 and the third wire anchoring point 513 of the spherical joint 510 are formed on different planes based on a virtual reference line. do.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 8 , the second wire anchoring point 612 and the fourth wire anchoring point 614 of the spherical joint 610 are preferably formed on different planes based on a virtual reference line.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, the first and second

wire anchoring points

711 and 712 and the third wire anchoring point 713 of the spherical joint 710 are formed on different planes based on a virtual reference line (ie, As an example, it is preferable to divide the sphere into halves and place them on different planes).

In describing the present invention, descriptions of matters obvious to those skilled in the art and those skilled in the art may be omitted, and descriptions of these omitted components (methods) and functions will be sufficiently referred to within the scope that does not depart from the technical spirit of the present invention. You will be able to. In addition, the above-described components of the present invention have been described for convenience of description of the present invention, but components not described herein may be added within a range that does not deviate from the technical spirit of the present invention.

The description of the configuration and function of each part described above has been separately described for convenience of explanation, but any one configuration and function may be implemented by integrating into other components or implemented in more subdivided form, if necessary.

Although the above has been described with reference to one embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and applications are possible. That is, those skilled in the art will easily understand that many modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention. In addition, when it is determined that the detailed description of known functions and their configurations related to the present invention or the coupling relationship of each component of the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, it should be noted that the detailed description is omitted. something to do.

Claims

a rigid or flexible tube section;

A spherical joint part disposed to be rotatable according to the traction of the driving wire at the distal end region of the tube part;

A plurality of spherical driving wires pulling the spherical joint;

The ball joint device for controlling the position of a surgical tool, comprising: an end-effect unit that is directly or indirectly coupled to the spherical joint, operates according to the traction of a driving wire, and controls a position by rotation of the spherical joint.
According to claim 1,

One end of the plurality of sphere drive wires,

It is coupled and fixed to each fixing point formed on the surface of the spherical joint,

A ball joint device for position control of a surgical tool, characterized in that at least one of the plurality of fixing points is located on a different plane with respect to the rest of the fixing points based on a virtual reference line.
According to claim 1,

The plurality of sphere drive wires,

A first spherical driving wire having one end fixedly coupled to a first fixing point formed in the spherical joint part and extending to a proximal end region along the inside of the tube part;

A second spherical drive wire having one end fixedly coupled to a second fixing point spaced a predetermined distance from the first fixing point and extending to a proximal end region along the inside of the tube portion;

A third spherical drive wire having one end fixedly coupled to a third fixing point located on a different plane with respect to the imaginary reference plane with respect to the first and second fixing points and extending to the proximal end region along the inner side of the tube part. Spherical joint device for position control of a surgical tool comprising a.
According to claim 2 or 3,

Inside the tube part,

Spherical joint device for controlling the position of a surgical tool, characterized in that wire insertion grooves or wire insertion lumens are respectively formed so that the plurality of sphere drive wires are arranged and fixed along the longitudinal direction of the tube part.
According to claim 4,

On the surface of the spherical joint,

A spherical joint device for position control of a surgical tool, characterized in that each wire guide groove in which the spherical driving wire is disposed is formed along a wire arrangement path from the fixing point to the distal end of the wire insertion groove or the wire insertion lumen.
According to claim 4,

Spherical joint device for controlling the position of a surgical tool, characterized in that the spherical drive wire disposed along the surface of the spherical joint from the fixing point is inserted into the tube portion through the wire insertion groove.
According to claim 1,

Further comprising a rolling joint portion disposed at a front end of the spherical joint portion to enable movement of one degree of freedom or two degrees of freedom of the end effect portion,

A spherical joint device for position control of a surgical tool, characterized in that the length of the spherical joint is relatively shorter than the length of the spherical joint.