JP2007325936A - Medical manipulator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a medical manipulator improving the reliability by simplifying a mechanism and having a superior operability. <P>SOLUTION: This medical manipulator is provided with an operation command section, a connecting section 30, a working section and a control section; the connecting section can be inserted into a hole of a trocar; the support section has a first rotary axis having a rotary axis orthogonally crossing with the central axis direction of the connecting section and a second rotary axis having a rotary axis orthogonally crossing with the first rotary axis; the central axis direction of a treatment section is almost in parallel to the axial direction of the second rotary axis; the support section has a pair of first gears rotatable around the first rotary axis, a pair of second gears interlocked with the pair of first gears and being rotatable around the second rotary axis, and a pair of connecting members 53 and 54 being rotatable around the second rotary axis along with the pair of second gears, and the treatment section has a treatment section rotary shaft 57 and a pair of grippers 14a and 14b rotatable around the treatment section rotary shaft 57. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a manipulator, and more particularly to a medical manipulator with a simplified mechanism and excellent operability.

  Conventionally, in laparoscopic surgery such as cholecystectomy, as shown in FIG. 25, several small holes 151, 152, and 153 are made in the abdomen of a patient 150, and a trocar 154 is attached to them. The endoscope 161, forceps 171, 172, and the like are inserted into these holes, and an operator (usually a surgeon) 160 performs an operation while viewing an image of the endoscope 161 on the monitor 162.

  Since such a surgical method does not require laparotomy, the burden on the patient is small, and the number of days until laparotomy or discharge after surgery is greatly reduced. For this reason, such an operation method is expected to expand the application field.

  The aforementioned laparoscopic surgery is an excellent surgical method in that the burden on the patient 150 is small. However, the fact that the surgeon 160 cannot actually see the surgical site can be a problem in some cases.

  Further, the forceps 171 and 172 are provided only with a gripper that opens and closes, and it is difficult to freely change the posture of the gripper, and the operability is poor.

  Due to the above factors, only a skilled operator can perform appropriate treatment by the above-described surgical method. Moreover, it takes a very long time to become skilled in the surgical method.

  In order to deal with such problems, research is being conducted to apply remote control robot technology such as a master-slave manipulator to the medical field.

  Remote control robot technology is a robot system in which the master arm operated by the operator and the slave arm that actually operates the surgical site are completely separated, and the command value of the master arm is transmitted to the slave arm as an electrical signal It is. Therefore, the master arm and the slave arm usually have a number of joints of 6 degrees of freedom or more, and a controller is provided corresponding to each degree of freedom. It is a complex system with

  Due to the complexity, the reliability of the operation of the master-slave manipulator system is not yet high enough. In addition, since the system itself is large, purchase costs and maintenance costs are also expensive. Furthermore, in the master-slave manipulator system, since the operator operates the master arm at a distance from the patient, there is a problem that the patient cannot be treated immediately in an emergency.

  In order to solve such a problem, the inventors have an operation command unit 20 having a posture operation unit 23 and a treatment operation unit 24 as shown in FIG. A working part 10 having a connected connecting part 30 and a support part 15 and 16 connected to the other end side of the connecting part 30 and supporting the treatment part 14 and the treatment part 14 so that the posture can be changed in two or more degrees of freedom; Control that sends an operation command from the posture operation unit 23 to the support units 15 and 16 to change the posture of the treatment unit 14, and sends an operation command from the treatment operation unit 24 to the treatment unit 14 to operate the treatment unit 14. And a medical manipulator 1 provided with a portion (not shown) (Japanese Patent Application No. 11-165961). As the working unit 10 and the operation command unit 23 according to this proposal, support units 15 and 16 including a yaw axis and a pitch axis, and a treatment unit 14 including a gripper are illustrated.

  As shown in FIG. 27, when a suturing operation is normally performed, the curved needle 180 (thread 181) is gripped by the treatment section 14, the curved needle 180 is inserted into the suture section 182, and the curved needle 180 is guided in an arc shape. . However, in the conventional medical manipulator shown in FIG. 26, since the operation and the arrangement of the degrees of freedom do not match, the operation command unit 20 does not operate smoothly in the direction in which the operator wants to operate, and operability is improved. There is a problem that is bad.

  In addition, depending on the posture of the working unit 10 or the operation command unit 20, there is a problem that the degree of freedom becomes a specific posture and the operability in a specific direction is extremely deteriorated. Furthermore, there is a problem that the gripping force of the treatment section 14 cannot be obtained sufficiently.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of such points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a manipulator that simplifies the mechanism to improve reliability and is excellent in operability.

  In order to achieve the above object, a medical manipulator according to the present invention includes an operation command unit having a posture operation unit and a treatment operation unit, a connection unit having one end connected to the operation command unit, and other than the connection unit. An operation unit connected to the end side and having a treatment unit and a support unit that supports the treatment unit so that the posture can be changed in two or more degrees of freedom; and an operation command from the posture operation unit is sent to the support unit to perform the treatment A medical manipulator comprising: a control unit that changes an attitude of the unit and sends an operation command from the treatment operation unit to the treatment unit to operate the treatment unit, wherein the connection unit is a trocar hole The support portion has a first rotation shaft having a rotation axis orthogonal to the central axis direction of the connection portion, and a rotation axis orthogonal to the first rotation axis. Two rotating shafts, and the treatment The central axis direction of the second rotation shaft is substantially parallel to the axial direction of the second rotation shaft, and the support portion is a pair of first gears and a pair of first gears that are rotatable about the first rotation shaft. A pair of second gears that can rotate around the second rotation shaft in conjunction with the second rotation shaft, and a pair of connecting members that can rotate around the second rotation shaft together with the pair of second gears, The treatment portion includes a treatment portion rotation shaft and a pair of grippers rotatable around the treatment portion rotation shaft, and one end of each of the pair of grippers is at least parallel to the second rotation shaft. The pair of coupling members are supported by the pair of coupling members so as to be rotatable about the rotation direction and the orthogonal direction, and the pair of grippers rotate with respect to the second rotation shaft. Rotating around the rotation axis, opening and closing operation at the other end To.

  The pair of grippers may be configured such that the other end of the pair of grippers is opened when the one end of the pair of grippers is opened as the pair of second gears rotates around the second rotation shaft. The other end of the pair of grippers is opened when the one end of the pair of grippers is closed.

  According to the present invention, the support posture of the treatment portion can be changed to two or more degrees of freedom by the support portion, and the operation command portion and the working portion are mechanically connected by the connecting portion, so that the operation reliability is improved. Without impairing the characteristics of the prior application (Japanese Patent Application No. 11-165961) that is excellent, the operation during the treatment actually performed by the operator, for example, the operation direction during the suturing operation with a curved needle, and the freedom of the manipulator Therefore, the operation command section can be operated smoothly in the direction in which the surgeon wants to operate, and the operability is particularly excellent. Since the operation force is assisted in the direction that the person wants to operate, the operability in a specific direction is not extremely deteriorated, and the grasping force of the treatment portion can be sufficiently obtained. Having.

  As described above, according to the configuration of the present invention, the support section can change the support posture of the treatment section to two degrees of freedom or more, and the operation command section and the working section are mechanically connected by the connecting section. Therefore, the operation at the time of treatment actually performed by the operator, for example, the operation direction at the time of suturing with a curved needle and the arrangement of the manipulator's degree of freedom are matched without impairing the feature of excellent operation reliability. Therefore, the operation command section can be smoothly operated in the direction in which the surgeon intends to operate, and the operability is particularly excellent. In addition, since the operating force is assisted in the direction in which the operator wants to operate in a specific posture and in the vicinity thereof, the operability in a specific direction is not extremely deteriorated, and the gripping force of the treatment section is sufficiently increased. It has the advantage that it can be obtained.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a medical manipulator according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are diagrams showing the configuration of the degree of freedom of the medical manipulator according to the first embodiment of the present invention in a skeleton diagram and the operation thereof.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the medical manipulator 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is connected to a working unit 10, an operation command unit 20, and both ends connected to the work unit 10 and the operation command unit 20. Connected portion 30.

  The working unit 10 includes a support unit and a treatment unit that performs a procedure on the operation unit. The support unit includes a first rotating shaft 11 and a first rotating shaft 11 having a rotation axis orthogonal to the central axis direction 31 of the connecting unit 30. The center axis direction of the gripper 14 which comprises the second rotating shaft 12 having a rotating shaft orthogonal to the rotating shaft 11 and performs the grasping operation 13 of the treatment portion is arranged substantially parallel to the axial direction of the second rotating shaft 12. Has been. In other words, the working unit 10 includes a pitch shaft joint support unit 15 and a roll shaft joint support unit 16 as support units that support the gripper 14 with two degrees of freedom so that the posture can be changed.

  The operation command unit 20 includes a third rotation shaft 21 having a rotation axis orthogonal to the central axis direction 31 of the connecting portion 30 and a fourth rotation shaft having a rotation axis orthogonal to the third rotation shaft 21. A posture operation unit 23 including 22 and a treatment operation unit 24 are provided. In the treatment operation unit 24, finger directions 201 a and 202 a (see FIG. 28) held by the operator when the operator holds the treatment operation unit 24 and the axial direction 22 a of the fourth rotation shaft 22 are substantially parallel. It is formed to be. The grasping operation 13 of the treatment unit 14 for performing treatment on the surgical site is performed by the grasping operation 25 of the treatment operation unit 24. Details will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the central axis direction 31 of the connecting portion 30, the first rotating shaft 11, and the second rotating shaft 12 are in a positional relationship that intersects at one point. Further, the central axis direction 31 of the connecting portion 30, the third rotating shaft 21, and the fourth rotating shaft 22 also have a positional relationship that intersects at one point. It is not always necessary to intersect at one point. However, if the offset of the treatment unit 14 is large, the posture of the treatment unit 14 is greatly swung during the posture operation, or if the offset of the operation unit is large, the posture operation is performed relative to the position operation. Such a rotational force is applied to the posture operation unit 23.

  The operation unit 20 is provided with an angle detection sensor (an encoder, a potentiometer, or the like) that detects the rotation angles of the third rotating shaft 21 and the fourth rotating shaft 22. The treatment operation unit 24 is provided with sensors (an angle detection sensor, a switch, and the like) that detect a gripping command operation of the treatment unit by the operator. By these sensors, an operation command 41 from the posture operation unit 20 is sent to the control device 40. In the control device 40, a predetermined control calculation is performed on the input operation command 41, and drive control of the first rotating shaft 11, the second rotating shaft 12, and the gripping operation 13 is performed.

  About the position of the treatment part 14, since the operation | work part 10 and the operation part 20 are couple | bonded by the connection part 30, it can be operated directly. On the other hand, with respect to the posture of the treatment section 14, the treatment section 14 is optional depending on the three degrees of freedom of the pitch axis (first rotation axis 11) and the roll axis (second rotation axis 12), with the connecting portion 30 as a roll axis. Can take the attitude. Similarly, with respect to the posture of the treatment operation unit 24, the treatment operation unit 24 is set according to the three degrees of freedom of the pitch axis (third rotation shaft 21) and the roll shaft (fourth rotation shaft 22) with the connecting unit 30 as a roll axis. Can take any posture. In addition, it is possible to reduce the cost of the medical manipulator 1 by using the connecting portion 30 as a common roll shaft. Furthermore, in a normal manipulator, there is a problem in calculation and a problem that a specific axis moves at a very high speed in a specific posture, but because the working unit 10 and the operation unit 20 have the same structure, There is no such problem.

  In the present embodiment, the drive unit 10m (for example, a motor / reduction gear) for driving the rotation operation of the first rotation shaft 11, the rotation operation of the second rotation shaft 12, and the gripping operation 13 is connected to the connection unit 30. It is arranged on the operation command part side. 10 m in the figure indicates a collective portion of the drive unit. The corresponding drive units 11m, 12m, and 13m in the drive unit 10 are driven by the drive control of the control device 40 described above, and the working unit is driven by the power through power transmission elements such as wires, pulleys, and gears (not shown). Rotation operation of the first rotation shaft 11, rotation operation of the second rotation shaft 12, and drive control of the gripping operation 13 are performed.

  In the present embodiment, the degree of freedom configuration of the support portion of the working unit 10 (first rotating shaft 11 and second rotating shaft 12) and the degree of freedom configuration of the posture operation unit 23 (third rotating shaft 21). Since the fourth rotary shaft 22) has the same structure, the rotation angles of the third rotary shaft 21 and the first rotary shaft 11, and the fourth rotary shaft 22 and the second rotary shaft 12 are equal. It is controlled. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the operator performs a posture operation to drive the third rotating shaft 21, the first rotating shaft 11 of the working unit is controlled to be equal.

  In the working unit 10 and the operation command unit 20 according to the present embodiment, the operation during the treatment actually performed by the operator, for example, the direction of operation during the suturing operation with the curved needle (FIG. 27) and the degree of freedom of the medical manipulator are determined. Since the arrangements match, the operation command section can be smoothly operated in the direction in which the operator intends to operate. That is, after the bending needle is stabbed into the stitching portion while the bending needle is held, the operator rotates the bending needle in an arc shape, and the rotation operation and the rotation axis direction of the fourth rotation shaft 22 are approximately Since it is in agreement and it is not necessary to rotate the 3rd rotating shaft 21 and a connection part significantly, operativity becomes very good. In order to perform the same operation according to the conventional embodiment, it is realized by combining the two-degree-of-freedom operation of the treatment portion and the rotation operation of the connecting portion, and the curved needle is guided in an arc shape intended by the operator. It is extremely difficult.

  When the medical manipulator 1 is very light, it is not necessary to provide a support mechanism. However, it is difficult for the operator to support the weight of the medical manipulator 1 for a long time, or the medical manipulator 1 When a holding brake function or a self-weight compensation mechanism is required, a configuration in which the holding brake function or the self-weight compensation mechanism is required may be configured to be supported by the support mechanism 100 (illustrated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1). The medical manipulator 1 is supported in a state in which two-axis rotational motion and one-axis direction (insertion direction) linear motion (that is, polar coordinates) are possible with respect to the virtual rotation center 110 (fixed point). . For example, the support mechanism 100 includes a position adjustment mechanism 101 that moves up and down, left and right with respect to the base, a horizontal rotation unit 102 that rotates about a vertical axis provided at the lower end, and one end on the outer periphery of the horizontal rotation unit 102. Are connected to the arc arm 103. The rotation axis of the horizontal rotation unit 102 is positioned substantially vertically above an appropriate point 110 on the connection unit 30. The connecting portion 30 is supported on the other end of the arc arm 103 by a support connecting portion 104. The support connecting portion 104 is supported by the arc arm 103 so as to be capable of rotating, and can be rotated along the arc of the arc arm 103. The connecting portion 30 is inserted into the support connecting portion 104 and can move linearly in the central axis direction 31. .

  4 to 6 are diagrams showing a configuration example of the working unit 10 of the medical manipulator according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in particular, the treatment unit, that is, the gripper 14. 4 shows a case where the hinge is opened and closed, FIG. 5 shows a case where the hinge opens and closes in parallel, and FIG. 6 shows a case where the gripper 14 is offset with respect to the second rotating shaft 12. Note that the gripper 14 is not limited to the form shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, and basically the center axis may be arranged substantially parallel to the axial direction of the second rotation shaft 12.

  7 to 10 and 28 are diagrams showing a configuration example of the operation command unit 20 of the medical manipulator according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in particular, the treatment operation unit 24.

  In FIG. 7, a command for the gripping operation 13 of the treatment unit 14 is given by the gripping operation 25 of the finger operation unit 26. The finger operation unit 26 includes two finger insertion units 26a and 26b into which an operator's thumb and index or middle finger are inserted. At least one of the two finger insertion portions 26a and 26b is configured to be movable in a hinge-like manner with respect to the finger operation instruction portion 27, and the interval between them can be arbitrarily changed. The distance between the grippers 14 is controlled in accordance with the distance between the finger insertion portions 26a and 26b. The opening / closing angle of the gripper 14 may be controlled by detecting the interval between the finger insertion portions 26a and 26b as an angle, or the ON / OFF detection is performed to control the opening / closing of the gripper 14 ON / OFF. May be.

  FIG. 8 shows a case where the handle portion 27 b is provided in the finger operation instruction portion 27. The operator can stably operate the treatment operation unit by grasping the handle portion 27b with the middle finger or the little finger. Moreover, the finger operation part 26 may be added, and when not added, a spring force (not shown) acting in the opening direction may be added. Further, a lock mechanism that maintains the gripping state may be provided.

  In FIG. 9, the operator gives a command for the gripping operation 13 of the treatment unit 14 with the switch 28 while holding the handle 29. When it is sufficient to open and close the gripper 14 in an ON / OFF manner, the treatment operation unit 24 can be simplified by adopting such a configuration. FIG. 10 shows a configuration in which the finger insertion portions 26a and 26b open and close in parallel with each other.

  FIG. 28 is a diagram showing a case where the treatment operation unit 24 shown in FIG. The operator's thumb 201 is inserted into the finger insertion part 26a, and the index finger 202 and the middle finger 203 are inserted into the finger insertion part 26b. The thumb 201 is inserted into the finger insertion part 26a, and the human error 202 and the middle finger 203 are inserted into the finger insertion part 26b. As shown in FIG. 28, the treatment operation unit 24 is configured so that the direction of the finger held by the operator when the operator holds the treatment operation unit 24, for example, the direction 201a of the thumb 201 and the direction 202a of the index finger 202 is the fourth. The rotary shaft 22 is formed so as to be substantially parallel to the axial direction 22a. These also apply to the treatment operation unit 24 shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, when the operator holds the treatment operation unit 24 with the hand 200, the direction of the finger held by the operator and the fourth rotation axis. The axial direction 22a of 22 is substantially parallel to each other.

  FIGS. 11-16 is the figure which showed the structural example of the operation part 10 of the medical manipulator by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. Both show the open state (FIGS. 11, 13, and 15) and the closed state (FIGS. 12, 14, and 16) of the gripper.

  First, FIGS. 11 and 12 will be described. The rotating member 50 that is rotatably supported with respect to the connecting portion 30, that is, the rotational member 50 that is rotatably supported with respect to the first rotating shaft 11, is coupled to the pulley 11p and driven by the driving portion 11m (see FIG. 1). When the force is transmitted by the wire 11w, the pulley 11p is rotated and the first rotating shaft 11 is driven. The pulleys 12p and 13p are rotatably supported with respect to the rotating member 50, and are fixed to bevel gears or face gears 51a and 52a, respectively. Therefore, the driving force of the drive units 12m and 13m (see FIG. 1) is transmitted by the wires 12w and 13w, so that the bevel gears or the face gears 51b and 52b can be rotated. The bevel gears or face gears 51 b and 52 b are supported in a direction orthogonal to the first rotation shaft 11 of the rotating member 50, that is, rotatably with respect to the second rotation shaft 12. That is, two rotation shafts 12 a and 12 b are arranged on the rotation shaft 12. The gripper 14a, 14b has a central axis direction substantially parallel to the axial direction of the second rotary shaft 12, that is, the roll axis direction of the gripper 14 is substantially parallel to the axial direction of the second rotary shaft 12. In addition, it is fixed to the bevel gears or face gears 51b and 52b via connecting members 53 and 54. Therefore, the grippers 14a and 14b can be driven independently by driving the drive units 12m and 13m. By controlling the rotating shafts 12a and 12b to rotate in the same direction, the rotating operation of the second rotating shaft 12, that is, the roll operation of the gripper 14 is rotated so that the rotating shafts 12a and 12b rotate in the opposite direction. It is possible to perform the opening / closing operation of the gripper 14 by controlling to. The drive amount of the drive units 12m and 13m can be easily determined by a power transmission method in the middle.

  13 and 14, the lower ends of the grippers (work links) 14a and 14b are rotatable in parallel directions (rotary shafts 55a and 55b) and orthogonal directions (rotary shafts 56a and 56b) with respect to the rotary shafts 12a and 12b. The grippers 14a and 14b are supported by the connecting members 53 and 54 so as to be connected to each other, and are rotatably coupled to the rotation shaft 57. Therefore, it is possible to drive the grippers 14a and 14b by driving the drive units 12m and 13m. Similarly, by controlling the rotating shafts 12a and 12b to rotate in the same direction, the rotating operation of the second rotating shaft 12, that is, the roll operation of the gripper 14, rotates the rotating shafts 12a and 12b in the opposite direction. The gripper 14 can be opened and closed by controlling so as to be performed. The opening / closing amount of the gripper can be increased by increasing the ratio of the lengths of the grippers 14a and 14b on the front end side with respect to the rotating shaft 57.

  15 and 16, the opening / closing relationship is reversed with respect to FIGS. 13 and 14. The gripper 14 opens when the connecting members 53 and 54 approach, and the gripper 14 closes when separated. In the case of this configuration, since the driving force is increased by the toggle mechanism, the gripping force can be greatly increased when the connecting members 53 and 54 are close to the phase relationship of 180 degrees. This is because the direction to open the gripper and the driving direction (the direction in which the lower ends of the grippers 14a and 14b rotate) are close to the orthogonal direction, so that the force to open the gripper is received in the driving direction. This is because it is structured to receive structurally. Such a configuration is suitable for a case where a fine needle used for a suturing operation is strongly held.

  In FIGS. 11 to 16, the wire, the pulley, and the bevel gear or the face gear are used as the configuration in which the two rotation shafts 12 a and 12 b are arranged on the rotation shaft 12, but other methods are used in FIGS. 17 and 18. Show.

  FIG. 17 shows a method realized by using only a wire and a pulley. The first rotating shaft 11 is driven by the wire 11w, and the rotating shafts 12a and 12b are realized by the wires 12w and 13w. The direction of the wire is changed by pulleys 58 and 59. The number of windings of the wire pulley may be determined by the driving angle. FIG. 18 shows a method realized by a torque tube. The first rotating shaft 11 is driven by the torque tube 11t, and the rotating shafts 12a and 12b are realized by the torque tube 12t and the torque tube 13t.

  In addition, in the structure shown in FIGS. 11-18, the shape of a structural member, a shaft, a connecting member, and the support method are not limited to the form shown in the figure, and any structure may be used as long as the function is not impaired. . For example, the shaft side may be fixed and the frame side rotated, or the frame side may be fixed and the shaft side rotated.

  FIG. 19 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a medical manipulator according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the medical manipulator according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  In the medical manipulator according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the posture operation unit 23 is in the vicinity of a peculiar posture (the central axis direction 31 of the connecting portion 30 and the fourth rotation axis 22 direction are in a coincident or parallel positional relationship. 19), that is, in the state of FIG. 19, the posture is changed in the direction of the rotation axis orthogonal to the third rotation shaft 21 and the fourth rotation shaft 22 (in the drawing, the left-right direction with respect to the hand holding the treatment operation unit). It is difficult to do. The second embodiment of the present invention improves the operability in the vicinity of this unique posture.

  The basic configuration is the same as that of the medical manipulator according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. In the second embodiment, a sensor 60 capable of detecting a force applied in a direction orthogonal to the third rotating shaft 21 and the fourth rotating shaft 22 is attached to the operation command unit 20. The sensor 60 is the simplest to detect with a strain cage. By attaching a strain cage to the position (both sides) shown in FIG. 19, it is possible to detect a force applied in a direction perpendicular to the third rotating shaft 21 and the fourth rotating shaft 22 as a bending stress.

  A drive unit (actuator) 61 is disposed in the support connection unit 104, and a rotational torque can be applied to the connection unit 30 in the axial direction of the connection unit 30 via the belt 63 and the pulleys 62 and 64. It has become a structure. Of course, there is no problem even if a power transmission mechanism such as a gear is used. Then, the detection value result of the sensor 60 is taken into the control device 40 and the drive unit 61 is controlled.

  For example, in the posture as shown in FIG. 20 (when the third rotation shaft 21 at this time is set to +), the operator operates the operation unit in the direction 120 in the figure (this direction is set to +). The sensor 60 detects the bending stress (the output at this time is set to +). At this time, the drive unit 61 performs control so as to apply rotational torque in the direction 121 in the figure (this direction is assumed to be +). On the other hand, when operated in the direction opposite to the direction 120 (− direction), the sensor 60 detects the bending stress in the − direction. At this time, the drive unit 61 performs control so that rotational torque is applied in the reverse direction (-direction) 121 in the figure.

  On the other hand, when the operator operates the operation unit in the direction 122 (+ direction) in the figure in the posture as shown in FIG. 21 (the third rotation shaft 21 is −), the sensor 60 is bent in the + direction. Detect stress. At this time, the drive unit 61 applies a rotational torque in the direction 123 (− direction) in the figure. On the other hand, when operated in the direction opposite to the direction 122 (− direction), the sensor 60 detects a bending stress in the − direction. At this time, the drive unit 61 gives a rotational torque in the reverse direction (+ direction) of 123 in the figure.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 22, the direction of rotation by the drive unit 61 can be determined by the direction of the bending stress and the position (+ or −) of the third rotation axis of the posture operation unit 23 at that time. When the position of the third rotating shaft 21 is zero (singular posture), it may be rotated in either direction. It may be rotated in a predetermined direction, or in order to continuously rotate, it may be rotated in the latest rotating direction of the connecting portion.

  The closer to the singular posture, the greater the bending stress and the higher the rotational speed, so a rotational torque proportional to the bending stress may be generated. What is necessary is just to set the relationship between a bending stress and rotational torque in the range with favorable operativity suitably. In addition, since the bending stress naturally becomes small at a position away from the unique posture, the rotational torque automatically becomes small, so that it is safe. In some cases, control may be performed so that the rotational torque is applied only when the position of the third rotation shaft 21 is near zero (for example, in a range of ± 10 degrees).

  Even when the position of the third rotating shaft 21 is near zero (for example, within a range of ± 10) and a rotational torque is applied to the connecting portion 30, the configuration of the degrees of freedom of the working unit 10 and the operation command unit 20 is the same. Therefore, basically, the posture given by the operator becomes the target posture of the working unit 20, so that the working unit 20 does not suddenly move and is safe.

  The drive unit 61 may be used as a self-weight compensation actuator around the central axis direction 31 of the connecting unit 30. The torque around the central axis direction 31 due to its own weight can be easily calculated and compensated according to the posture of each axis of the medical manipulator 1.

  FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for applying a rotational torque in the axial direction of the connecting portion 30. The medical manipulator 1 is supported by a support connecting portion 104 in a state in which the medical manipulator 1 can rotate and linearly move in the axial direction of the connecting portion 30. In FIG. 23, the connecting portion 30 is supported by a linear motion bearing 65 and a rotary bearing 66. The cross section of the connecting portion 30 has a D shape. The drive unit 61 is configured to rotate the linear motion bearing portion 67 by the belt 63 and the pulleys 62 and 64. With such a configuration, it is possible to support the rotation of the support connecting portion 104 while rotating the support connecting portion 104 and to apply a rotational torque to the connecting portion 30.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, the first rotating shaft 11 or the third rotating shaft 21 is described as the pitch axis. However, the first rotating shaft 11 or the third rotating shaft is described. It is not necessary to limit 21 to the pitch axis, and as shown in FIG. 29, the first rotating shaft 11 or the third rotating shaft 21 may be configured as a yaw axis, and the same effect can be obtained.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing a medical manipulator according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The skeleton figure of FIG. The skeleton figure explaining the operation | movement of FIG. The schematic perspective view which shows the example of a structure of the operation | work part of FIG. The schematic perspective view which shows the example of a structure of the operation | work part of FIG. The schematic perspective view which shows the example of a structure of the operation | work part of FIG. The schematic perspective view which shows the example of a structure of the operation part of FIG. The schematic perspective view which shows the example of a structure of the operation part of FIG. The schematic perspective view which shows the example of a structure of the operation part of FIG. The schematic perspective view which shows the example of a structure of the operation part of FIG. The front view (a) and side view (b) which show the example of the detail of the operation | work part in the open state of FIG. The front view (a) and side view (b) which show the example of the detail of the operation | work part in the closed state of FIG. The front view (a) and side view (b) which show the example of the detail of the operation | work part in the open state of FIG. The front view (a) and side view (b) which show the example of the detail of the operation | work part in the closed state of FIG. The front view (a) and side view (b) which show the example of the detail of the operation | work part in the open state of FIG. The front view (a) and side view (b) which show the example of the detail of the operation | work part in the closed state of FIG. The front view (a) and side view (b) which show the example of the power transmission method of a working part. The side view which shows the example of the power transmission method of a working part. The schematic perspective view which shows the medical manipulator by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The figure explaining the control method of the medical manipulator by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The figure explaining the control method of the medical manipulator by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The table | surface explaining the control method of the medical manipulator by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The side view which shows the example of the detail of FIG. FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view of the support connection portion of FIG. 23. Schematic which shows the conventional medical manipulator (forceps). Schematic which shows the conventional medical manipulator (prior application). Explanatory drawing of a sewing operation | work. The figure which shows the relationship between the direction of the finger | toe which an operator hold | grips when an operator holds a treatment operation part, and the axial direction of a 4th rotating shaft. The figure which shows the structure which makes a 1st rotating shaft or a 3rd rotating shaft not a pitch axis but a yaw axis.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Medical manipulator 10 Working part 10m, 11m, 12m, 13m, 61 Drive part 11w, 11w, 12w Wire 11p, 11p, 12p, 62, 64 Pulley 11 1st rotating shaft 12 2nd rotating shaft 13, 25 Gripping operation | movement 14 Gripper 15 Pitch shaft joint support portion 16 Roll shaft joint support portion 20 Operation command portion 21 Third rotation shaft 22 Fourth rotation shaft 23 Posture operation portion 24 Treatment operation portion 26 Finger operation portion 27 Finger operation support portion 30 Connecting portion 31 Central axis direction 40 of connecting portion 30 Control device 41 Operation command 60 Sensor 63 Belt 100 Support mechanism 101 Position adjusting mechanism 102 Horizontal rotation portion 103 Arc arm 104 Support connecting portion 110 Virtual rotation center (fixed point)
201a, 202a Finger direction

Claims (2)

An operation command unit having a posture operation unit and a treatment operation unit;
One end side is connected to the operation command part, and a connecting part;
A working unit that is connected to the other end of the coupling unit and includes a treatment unit and a support unit that supports the treatment unit in a posture changeable in two or more degrees of freedom;
A control unit that sends an operation command from the posture operation unit to the support unit to change the posture of the treatment unit, and sends an operation command from the treatment operation unit to the treatment unit to operate the treatment unit; A medical manipulator comprising:
The connecting part can be inserted into a hole in the trocar;
The support portion includes a first rotation shaft having a rotation axis orthogonal to the central axis direction of the connecting portion, and a second rotation shaft having a rotation axis orthogonal to the first rotation axis. Have
The central axis direction of the treatment portion is substantially parallel to the axial direction of the second rotation axis,
The support portion includes a pair of first gears rotatable about the first rotation shaft and a pair of second gears rotatable about the second rotation shaft in conjunction with the pair of first gears. And a pair of connecting members that can rotate around the second rotating shaft together with the pair of second gears,
The treatment portion has a treatment portion rotation axis and a pair of grippers that are rotatable around the treatment portion rotation axis.
One end of each of the pair of grippers is supported by the pair of connecting members so as to be rotatable around at least a parallel direction and an orthogonal direction with respect to the second rotation axis,
As the pair of second gears rotate around the second rotation axis, the pair of grippers rotate around the treatment unit rotation axis, and the other end performs an opening / closing operation. Medical manipulator. As the pair of second gears rotate around the second rotation shaft, the other pair of grippers closes when the one end of the pair of grippers opens, The medical manipulator according to claim 1, wherein the other end of the pair of grippers is opened when the one end of the pair of grippers is closed.

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