CN103707322B - Retractable and flexible non-individual body frame for movement can be curved - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a bendable and stretchable flexible continuum mechanical structure. The continuum mechanical structure includes: a distal structure, a proximal structure, and a middle connecting body. The distal structures include distal spacers, distal locking discs, structural bones, and distal kinematic chains. Proximal structures include proximal spacers, proximal locking discs, and structural bones. Among them, the distal structure is associated with the proximal structure through the central connector, and one end of the structural bone is fixed to the proximal locking disc, which passes through the proximal spacer, the middle connector, and the distal spacer in turn, and is fixed to the distal The locking plate is such that when the proximal structure is driven to bend and/or expand in any direction, the distal structure correspondingly bends and/or expands in the opposite direction. The continuum mechanical structure of the present invention realizes bending and/or stretching in any direction with an extremely simple structure, and has very wide applications.

Description

Bendable and stretchable flexible continuum mechanical structure

technical field

The invention relates to the fields of medical equipment, industrial automation and the like, in particular to a bendable and stretchable flexible continuum mechanical structure used for medical equipment, industrial automation equipment and the like.

Background technique

In the existing bendable mechanical structure, the controllable bending motion is basically realized by the relative rotation at the hinge joint through two rigid or flexible links hinged to each other. When multiple independent turning motions are connected in series through this structure, it is generally necessary to install a drive unit (such as a motor, hydraulic ejector, etc.) The load of the end drive unit will make the realization of this function relatively complicated in structure and relatively large in size.

In medical operations or industrial deep cavity detection, etc., it is necessary to construct instruments with multiple degrees of freedom and multiple bending functions with extremely small peripheral dimensions, especially in minimally invasive surgery for patients or industrial deep cavity detection. The scheme of realizing the mechanical structure in series shows many insurmountable defects.

Contents of the invention

The purpose of the present invention is to invent a mechanical structure that can be extended, bent, and stretched, can bear a certain load (torque, external force, etc.), and can realize multi-degree-of-freedom remote flexible operation with an extremely simplified structure.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a flexible continuum mechanical structure, characterized in that it comprises:

a distal structure comprising a distal spacer disc, a distal locking disc and a structural bone;

A proximal structure, the proximal structure includes a proximal spacer disc, a proximal locking disc, and a structural bone, and the structural bone on the distal structure is the same as the corresponding structural bone on the proximal structure are fixedly connected or to the same structural bone; and

A middle connecting body, the middle connecting body includes a pipe fixing plate and a pipe;

Wherein, the distal structure is associated with the proximal structure via the middle connector, and one end of the structural bone is fixed to the proximal locking disc, passing through the proximal spacer, the middle connector, and the distal spacer in sequence. , and the other end is fixed to the distal locking disk, so that when the proximal structure is driven to bend in any direction, the distal structure correspondingly bends in the opposite direction, or, when the proximal structure is driven When the structure is elongated or shortened, the distal structure is correspondingly shortened or elongated.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structural bone of the distal structure body and the corresponding structural bone of the proximal structure body are the same structural bone, and the length of the structural bone can be measured, estimated or kept constant.

The present invention also provides another flexible continuum mechanical structure, which is characterized in that it includes:

a distal structure comprising a distal spacer disc, a distal locking disc and a structural bone;

A proximal structure, the proximal structure includes a proximal spacer disc, a proximal locking disc, and a structural bone, and the structural bone on the distal structure is the same as the corresponding structural bone on the proximal structure Fixed connection or the same structural bone;

a middle connecting body, the middle connecting body includes a pipe fixing plate and a pipe; and

The driving mechanism is used to drive the movement of the proximal structure, the driving mechanism is composed of a driving locking disc, a driving spacer disc, a driving structural bone and a driving fixed disc, one end of the driving structural bone is fixed on the driving locking on the disk, and pass through the driving spacer disk and the driving fixed disk in sequence;

Wherein, the distal structure is associated with the proximal structure via the middle connector, and one end of the structural bone is fixed to the proximal locking disc, passing through the proximal spacer, the middle connector, and the distal spacer in sequence. , the other end is fixed to the distal locking disc;

The drive mechanism is connected to the proximal structure, so that when the drive structure is driven, the drive mechanism drives the proximal structure to bend in any direction, and the distal structure correspondingly faces the opposite direction. The direction is turned, or the driving mechanism drives the proximal structure to elongate or shorten, and the distal structure to shorten or elongate accordingly.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structural bones of the distal structure body and the proximal structure body are composed of elastic thin rods or elastic thin tubes, and the distal locking disc and the distal spacer disc , the proximal locking disk and the proximal spacer disk respectively have the same arrangement of through holes, and both are rigid disk-shaped structures.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a certain distance is maintained between the proximal spacer discs and between the proximal spacer discs and the proximal locking disc, and the proximal spacer discs function to limit the position of the structural bone and Prevents structural bones from destabilizing when thrust is applied.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a certain distance is maintained between the distal spacer discs and between the distal spacer discs and the distal locking disc, and the distal spacer discs function to limit the position of the structural bone and Prevents structural bones from destabilizing when thrust is applied.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the middle connecting body is composed of more than three pipes and more than two pipe fixing plates, and the structural bone of the continuum mechanical structure runs through the pipes, and one end extends to the distal end In the structure, it passes through the distal spacer and is fixed on the distal locking disc, and the other end extends into the proximal structure, passes through the proximal spacer and is fixed on the proximal locking disc superior.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the flexible continuum mechanical structure is extended with more than 2 proximal structures and more than 2 distal structures in order to achieve higher movement flexibility.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the middle connecting body has two pipe fixing plates, the two ends of the pipe are respectively fixed on the two pipe fixing plates, and the structure of the proximal structure of the continuum mechanical structure The bone can pass sequentially through one of the two canal fixation plates, the canal, and then the other canal fixation plate, and then into the distal construct.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the proximal structure has a proximal locking disk and multiple proximal spacers; the distal structure has a distal locking disk and multiple distal spacers. disc; the proximal structure and the distal structure share a plurality of structural bones, the length of the structural bones can be measured, estimated or constant; and one end of the structural bones is fixed to the distal locking disc, and pass through the distal spacer, the middle connecting body, and the proximal spacer in sequence, and then be fixed to the proximal locking disc, so that the proximal structure is driven to bend and rotate in any direction. When/or stretching, the distal structure body bends and/or stretches in opposite directions.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the proximal locking disc of the proximal structure is ring-shaped, and a plurality of radial drive connection holes are provided on the outer peripheral side of the ring for connecting the proximal The end structure is connected to the drive mechanism.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structural bone is composed of elastic thin rods or elastic thin tubes, and the number thereof is greater than or equal to three.

In the flexible continuum mechanical structure of the present invention, preferably, the driving mechanism has a driving locking disk, a plurality of driving spacer disks, a plurality of driving structural bones, and a driving fixed disk, and the driving locking disk is connected to the proximal The proximal locking disk of the end structure is fixedly connected, and the driving fixed disk is fixedly connected with the fixed plate of the middle connecting body, so that when the driving mechanism is driven to bend and/or stretch in any direction, the proximal The end structures bend and/or retract in any direction accordingly.

In the flexible continuum mechanical structure of the present invention, preferably, the driving structure bone is composed of elastic thin rods or elastic thin tubes, the number of which is greater than or equal to 3, and the corresponding push and pull movements are realized manually or by an automatically controlled electromechanical system .

In the flexible continuum mechanical structure of the present invention, preferably, the driving mechanism is extended into a multi-section driving mechanism to realize the driving of the continuum mechanical structure extended and connected with a multi-section proximal structure and a distal structure.

Preferably, the proximal spacer disc and the distal spacer disc are ring-shaped, and a plurality of holes for the structural bone to pass through are provided on the ring.

Preferably, a plurality of radial drive connection holes are provided on the outer peripheral side of the middle connecting body adjacent to the pipe fixing plate of the proximal structure for connection with the drive mechanism.

Preferably, said conduit is of any shape, rigid or flexible, but its length must be measurable, estimable or constant.

The present invention also provides another flexible continuum mechanical structure, which is characterized in that it includes:

a distal structure comprising a distal spacer disc, a distal locking disc and a structural bone;

A proximal structure, the proximal structure includes a proximal spacer disc, a proximal locking disc, and a structural bone, and the structural bone on the distal structure is the same as the corresponding structural bone on the proximal structure are fixedly connected or to the same structural bone; and

The middle connecting body, the middle connecting body includes more than two fixing plates, and the fixing plates are provided with a plurality of holes for structural bones to pass through;

Wherein, the distal structure is associated with the proximal structure via the middle connector, and one end of the structural bone is fixed to the proximal locking disc, passing through the proximal spacer, the middle connector, and the distal spacer in sequence. , and the other end is fixed to the distal locking disk, so that when the proximal structure is driven to bend in any direction, the distal structure correspondingly bends in the opposite direction, or, when the proximal structure is driven When the structure is elongated or shortened, the distal structure is correspondingly shortened or elongated.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a flexible continuum mechanical structure is provided, comprising:

a distal structure comprising a distal spacer, a distal locking disc and a structural bone;

a distal kinematic chain, the distal kinematic chain is built into the distal structure and is used to change the stiffness of the distal structure, and the distal kinematic chain maintains kinematic compatibility with the distal structure;

A proximal structure, the proximal structure includes a proximal spacer, a proximal locking disc, and a structural bone, and the structural bone on the distal structure is the same as the corresponding structural bone on the proximal structure are fixedly connected or to the same structural bone; and

A middle connecting body, the middle connecting body includes a pipe fixing plate and a pipe;

Wherein, the distal structure is associated with the proximal structure via the middle connector, and one end of the structural bone is fixed to the proximal locking disc, passing through the proximal spacer, the middle connector, and the distal spacer in sequence. , and the other end is fixed to the distal locking disk, so that when the proximal structure is driven to bend in any direction, the distal structure correspondingly bends in the opposite direction, or, when the proximal structure is driven When the structure is elongated or shortened, the distal structure is correspondingly shortened or elongated.

In a preferred embodiment, the structural bones of the distal structure body and the proximal structure body are composed of elastic thin rods or elastic thin tubes.

Preferably, the distal spacer and the proximal spacer are respectively composed of a plurality of distal spacers and a plurality of proximal spacers, and the distal locking disc is locked with the distal spacer and the proximal spacer. The disk and the proximal spacer disk respectively have the same arrangement of through holes, and both are rigid disk-shaped structures.

In a preferred embodiment, the middle connecting body is composed of more than three pipes and more than two pipe fixing plates, and the structural bone of the mechanical structure of the continuum runs through the pipes, and one end extends into the distal structure, and passes through the pipes. The distal spacer is fixed on the distal locking disc, and the other end extends into the proximal structure, and is fixed on the proximal locking disc through the proximal spacer.

In a preferred embodiment, the flexible continuum mechanical structure further includes a driving mechanism, the driving mechanism is composed of a driving locking disk, a driving spacer disk, a driving structural bone and a driving fixed disk, one end of the driving structural bone is fixed on the driving on the locking disk, and pass through the driving spacer disk and the driving fixed disk in turn; the driving structural bone is composed of elastic thin rods or elastic thin tubes, the number of which is greater than or equal to 3, and is manually or automatically controlled The electromechanical system realizes corresponding push and pull movements; and the driving mechanism is connected with the proximal structure body, so that when the driving structure bone is driven, the drive mechanism drives the proximal structure body to bend in any direction, so The distal structure body turns in the opposite direction accordingly, or the driving mechanism drives the proximal structure body to elongate or shorten, and the distal structure body shortens or elongates accordingly.

In a preferred embodiment, the distal spacer and the proximal spacer are bellows or helical springs or are composed of a plurality of spacers, and the bellows and the helical springs and the spacers are provided with A hole through which the structural bone passes.

In a preferred embodiment, the middle connecting body is further provided with a retaining ring for dividing the fixed pipes of the middle connecting body into multiple bundles.

In a preferred embodiment, the distal kinematic chain is composed of more than six components, one end of the first component is fixed on the distal locking disk or the pipe fixing plate, and the other end is rotatably connected to one end of the second component. The first rotary joint; the other end of the second component is rotatably connected to one end of the third component to form a second rotary joint; the other end of the third component is telescopically connected to one end of the fourth component to form an expansion joint; the fourth component The other end of the fifth member is rotatably connected to one end of the fifth member to form a third rotating joint; the other end of the fifth member is rotatably connected to one end of the sixth member to form a fourth rotating joint, and the other end of the sixth member is fixed to the distal lock on the tight disk, or the sixth component is connected to the seventh component, and the last component is fixed on the distal locking disk. The setting of each rotary joint and expansion joint makes the distal kinematic chain and the distal structure keep in motion phase. Capacitive, so that it can bend and expand in various directions with the distal structure.

In another preferred embodiment, the distal kinematic chain may include connecting rod one, connecting rod two, connecting rod three, and a rotary joint arranged between the connecting rod one and the pipeline fixing plate or the distal locking disc, and a rotating joint arranged between the connecting rod An expansion joint between the first and the second connecting rod, a rotary joint arranged between the second connecting rod and the third connecting rod, and a rotary joint arranged between the third connecting rod and the far-end locking disk.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a flexible continuum mechanical structure is provided, comprising:

a distal structure comprising a distal spacer, a distal locking disc and a structural bone;

a distal kinematic chain, the distal kinematic chain is built into the distal structure and is used to change the stiffness of the distal structure, and the distal kinematic chain maintains kinematic compatibility with the distal structure;

A proximal structure, the proximal structure includes a proximal spacer, a proximal locking disc, and a structural bone, and the structural bone on the distal structure is the same as the corresponding structural bone on the proximal structure Fixed connection or the same structural bone;

a middle connecting body, the middle connecting body includes a pipe fixing plate and a pipe; and

a driving mechanism, the driving mechanism is built in the proximal structure;

Wherein, the distal structure is associated with the proximal structure via the middle connector, and one end of the structural bone is fixed to the proximal locking disc, passing through the proximal spacer, the middle connector, and the distal spacer in sequence. , the other end is fixed to the distal locking disc, so that when the proximal structure is driven by the driving mechanism to bend in any direction, the distal structure is correspondingly bent in the opposite direction, or, When the proximal structure is driven to elongate or shorten, the distal structure is correspondingly shortened or elongated.

In a preferred embodiment, the driving mechanism is composed of a plurality of connecting rods, and an expansion joint and a rotating joint arranged between the connecting rods and between the connecting rod and the proximal locking disc, and the expansion joint can drive the The near-end structure operates telescopically, and the rotary joint can drive the near-end structure to perform a turning movement.

In a preferred embodiment, the driving mechanism includes connecting rod one, connecting rod two, connecting rod three, and a rotary joint arranged between the first connecting rod and the pipe fixing plate, and a rotating joint arranged between the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod. The expansion joint between the connecting rods, the rotary joint between the second connecting rod and the third connecting rod, the rotating joint between the third connecting rod and the proximal locking disc, and the rotating joint between the third connecting rod and the proximal locking disc The rotary joint between them is a passive rotary joint, and the other rotary joints and telescopic joints are active joints. Both the rotary joints and the telescopic joints are driven by motors, thereby driving the proximal structure to perform bending and/or telescopic movements. . The flexible continuum mechanical structure of the present invention realizes the operation at the proximal end to control the bending and/or expansion and contraction of the distal end mechanism in any direction with a very simple and compact structure, and has a very wide range of applications in the medical field and industrial automation equipment .

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is the perspective view of the first embodiment of the flexible continuum mechanical structure of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a modified example of the first embodiment of the flexible continuum mechanical structure of the present invention;

3 is a perspective view of another modified example of the first embodiment of the flexible continuum mechanical structure of the present invention;

4a-4b are perspective views of yet another modified example of the first embodiment of the flexible continuum mechanical structure of the present invention, wherein FIG. 4b is a partially enlarged view of part A in FIG. 4a;

Fig. 5 is a structural schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the driving mechanism of the continuum mechanical structure of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a structural schematic diagram of the mechanical structure of the circular cross-section continuum of the present invention assembled to the drive mechanism;

Fig. 7 is a structural schematic view of the mechanical structure of the square annular section continuum of the present invention assembled to the driving mechanism;

Fig. 8 is a structural schematic diagram of the non-complete annular section continuum mechanical structure of the present invention assembled to the driving mechanism;

Fig. 9 is a structural schematic diagram of the mechanical structure of the circular cross-section continuum bound in the middle of the present invention after being assembled to the driving mechanism;

Fig. 10 is a schematic structural view of the mechanical structure of a two-section continuum with an annular section of the present invention;

Figures 11a and 11b are another structural schematic diagram of the circular section two-section continuum mechanical structure of the present invention, wherein Figure 11b is a partial enlarged view of part B in Figure 11a;

Fig. 12 is a structural schematic diagram of a two-section driving mechanism of the continuum mechanical structure of the present invention;

Fig. 13 is a schematic structural view of the mechanical structure of the two-section continuum with circular section assembled to the two-section driving mechanism of the present invention;

Fig. 14 is a structural schematic diagram of another circular section two-section continuum mechanical structure assembled to the two-section driving mechanism of the present invention;

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the flexible continuum mechanical structure of the present invention;

Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the distal structure in Fig. 15;

17a and 17b are perspective and cross-sectional views illustrating an embodiment for replacing a spacer disc in a distal structure and a proximal structure, respectively;

Figure 18 is a perspective view showing another embodiment for replacing spacer discs in the distal and proximal structures; and

Fig. 19 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the driving mechanism of the flexible continuum mechanical structure of the present invention.

detailed description

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, so as to better understand the purpose, features and advantages of the present invention. It should be understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but only to illustrate the essence of the technical solutions of the present invention. In the specification, the same reference numerals denote the same or similar components.

The invention proposes a flexible continuum mechanical structure that can be extended, bent, and stretched. This structure can realize controllable bending and telescopic movements, and has a certain load bearing capacity, which can also be realized by means of extension. A series of turning and telescopic movements. The driving mechanism of the mechanical structure can be separated from the flexible continuous body mechanical structure, so that the driving mechanism can be replaced and one pair of driving mechanisms can drive multiple sets of the flexible continuous body mechanical structure.

Specifically, the flexible continuum mechanical structure is composed of a distal structure, a proximal structure and a middle connecting body. The distal structure is associated with the proximal structure via a central linker. The distal structure consists of distal septal disc, distal locking disc and structural bone. The proximal structure consists of the proximal septal disc, proximal locking disc, and structural bone. The middle connecting body is composed of pipes (preferably rigid pipes) and pipe fixing plates.

The driving mechanism can be connected with the proximal structure and can drive the proximal structure. Driven by the driving mechanism, the proximal structure can bend and/or stretch in any direction, and thus drive the distal structure to move in any direction Bending and/or telescoping.

The structural bone in the distal structure is composed of elastic thin rods or elastic thin tubes, which can bear pulling force or pushing force, and its number and distribution can be set according to requirements. The distal locking disc and the distal spacer disc are rigid disc structures with the same arrangement of through holes. The hole diameter of the distal spacer disc is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the structural bone to ensure that the structural bone can pass through it freely, while the distal locking disc Part or all of the holes on the disc are slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the structural bone, so that part or all of the structural bone cannot slide relative to the locking disc, or some or all of the structural bone can be locked at the distal end by another locking device on the plate. The shape of the distal locking disc and the distal spacer and the layout of the upper holes can be determined according to the design requirements (a simple example is that the distal locking disc and the distal spacer are both ring-shaped structures, uniform along the circumferential direction Distribute several through holes). A certain distance is kept between the spacer discs and between the spacer discs and the locking disc, and the function of the spacer discs is to limit the position of the structural bone and prevent the structural bone from destabilizing when pushed.

The structural bone in the proximal structure is also composed of elastic thin rods or elastic thin tubes, which can bear pulling force or pushing force, and the number can be set according to requirements. The proximal locking disc and the proximal spacer disc are rigid disc structures with the same arrangement of through holes. The hole diameter of the proximal spacer disc is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the structural bone to ensure that the structural bone can pass through it freely, while the proximal locking disc Part or all of the holes on the disc are slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the structural bone, so that part or all of the structural bone cannot slide relative to the locking disc. The shape of the proximal locking disc and the proximal spacer and the layout of the upper holes can be set according to the design requirements (a simple example is that the proximal locking disc and the proximal spacer are both ring-shaped structures, along the circumferential direction Evenly distribute several through holes). A certain distance is kept between the spacer discs of the proximal structure and between the spacer discs and the locking disc, and the function of the spacer discs is to limit the position of the structural bone and prevent the structural bone from destabilizing when pushed.

The pipeline in the middle connecting body is fixed by two or more pipeline fixing plates, and the shape, direction, length, bending and offset of the pipeline can be set arbitrarily. The number of channels can be set according to the number of distal structural bone and proximal structural bone. The continuum structure bone runs through the pipeline in the middle connecting body; one end extends into the distal structure, passes through the distal septum and is fixed on the distal locking disc; the other end extends into the proximal structure, passes through the proximal septum Fixed on the proximal locking disc.

When the central connector remains fixed, since the length of each structural bone can be measured, estimated or constant, bending the proximal structure will cause the distal structure to bend in the opposite direction, and any bending of the distal structure can always be passed. This is achieved by corresponding bending of the proximal structure. The proximal structure can also be driven to increase its length, and the length of the distal structure will be shortened accordingly, and vice versa. In a word, the bending and stretching of the distal structure body in any direction can be realized by corresponding driving of the proximal structure body. The outer dimension of the distal structure body can be larger, smaller or similar to that of the proximal structure body, so as to meet the performance requirements of different sports occasions.

Such a flexible continuum mechanical structure can be sequentially extended to form a multi-segment continuum mechanical structure, that is, a multi-segment proximal structure and/or a multi-segment distal structure can be sequentially extended. For example, two proximal structures and two distal structures may be sequentially connected, wherein the middle proximal structure and the distal structure form the No. 1 continuum mechanical structure, and the proximal structures at both ends are connected to the The distal structure constitutes the No. 2 continuum mechanical structure, and the No. 1 and No. 2 continuum mechanical structures share a middle connecting body. The structural bone of the mechanical structure of the No. 2 continuum is first fixedly connected with the distal locking disc of the No. 2 continuum, passes through the distal spacer disc of the No. 2 continuum, and then passes through the distal structure of the No. 1 continuum mechanical structure, The pipeline in the shared middle connecting body and the proximal structure of the No. 1 continuum pass through the spacer disc at the proximal end of the No. 2 continuum and are fixedly connected to the locking disc at the proximal end of the No. 2 continuum. If the structural bone in the No. 1 continuum mechanical structure is a thin tube, the structural bone in the No. 2 continuum mechanical structure can concentrically pass through the structural bone of the No. 1 continuum mechanical structure and connect to the distal structure of the No. 2 continuum mechanical structure and proximal structures in vivo. The structural bones of the No. 2 continuum mechanical structure may not form a relative motion relationship with the No. 1 continuum mechanical structure, but directly pass through the shared middle connecting body and connect to the distal and proximal structures of the No. 2 continuum mechanical structure . Any bending and stretching of the distal structure of the two-section continuum mechanical structure can be realized by driving the proximal structure of the two-section continuum mechanical structure. In the same way, multiple continuum mechanical structures can be extended to realize the series connection of multiple turning and telescopic motions to obtain higher motion flexibility. High-strength structural bones (for example, made of nickel-titanium alloy or stainless steel) can make the structure have the ability to bear loads while realizing flexible movements. This ability is determined by the diameter, material, number, and It is determined by factors such as distribution and length, and this capacity can also be adjusted by controlling the relevant parameters of structural bones and spacers in the continuum, which can achieve high load-bearing capacity or low load-bearing capacity but are easier to withstand external forces. Passively deforms to adapt to its surroundings.

In the above-mentioned drive mechanism for driving such a continuum mechanical structure, the drive mechanism can be separated from the continuum mechanical structure, so that the drive mechanism can be replaced and one drive mechanism can drive multiple continuum mechanical structures. The driving mechanism is composed of a driving locking disk, a driving spacer disk, a driving structural bone and a driving fixed disk.

The driving structural bone is composed of elastic thin rods or elastic thin tubes, which can bear pulling force or pushing force. The number of them must be greater than or equal to 3, and the corresponding pushing and pulling movements can be realized manually or by an automatically controlled electromechanical system. The driving locking disc and the driving spacer are rigid structures (the shape can be circular or non-circular) and have the same arrangement of through holes. The hole diameter of the driving spacer is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the driving structure bone to ensure that the driving structure bone can be free from it. part or all of the upper hole diameter of the driving locking disc is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the driving structural bone, so that part or all of the driving structural bone cannot slide relative to the driving locking disc.

There are large through holes in the driving locking disk and the driving fixed disk, which can allow the near-end structure body of the continuum mechanical structure to pass through. The driving locking disc and the driving fixing disc can also be respectively connected with the proximal locking disc in the continuum mechanical structure and the pipeline fixing plate of the middle connecting body through bolts. The coordinated push-pull drive of the driving structure bone can realize the arbitrary bending and telescoping of the driving mechanism, and the movement of the driving locking disc in the driving mechanism will drive the movement of the proximal locking disc in the mechanical structure of the continuum, so as to realize the movement of the proximal structure. Arbitrary bending and stretching, finally realizing the bending and stretching of the distal structure.

The drive mechanism can also be extended to form a multi-section drive mechanism to drive the extended continuous mechanical structure. For example, when the continuum mechanical structure is extended with two proximal structures and two distal structures, correspondingly, two driving mechanisms may be provided. After the extension, the drive structure of the No. 2 drive mechanism is firmly connected to the drive lock plate of the No. 2 drive mechanism. After passing through the drive spacer of the No. 2 drive mechanism, it passes through the drive lock plate of the No. 1 drive mechanism and Drive the spacer, through manual or electromechanical drive, to realize the bending and expansion of the No. 2 driving mechanism, thereby driving the bending and expansion of the proximal structure of the No. Bending and telescoping of the distal structure.

Example 1

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a flexible continuum mechanical structure according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , the flexible continuum mechanical structure 100 is composed of a distal structure 1 , a middle connecting body 2 and a proximal structure 3 . The distal structure 1 includes a distal locking disc 4, a distal spacer 5 and a structural bone 6, the middle connecting body 2 includes pipe fixing plates 7, 9 and a pipe 8, and the proximal structure 3 includes a proximal spacer 10, The proximal locking disc 11 and the structural bone 6. In this embodiment, the structural bone 6 on the distal structure 1 and the corresponding structural bone 6 on the proximal structure are the same structural bone, but those skilled in the art should understand that the structure on the distal structure 1 The bone and the corresponding structural bone 6 on the proximal structural body may also be not the same structural bone, but fixedly connected together through various connection structures. The structural bone 6 is locked on the distal locking disk 4 , passes through the distal spacer 5 , the pipe 8 , and the proximal spacer 10 , and is locked on the proximal locking disk 11 . The length of the structural bone 6 in the continuum mechanical structure can be measured, estimated or kept constant. The locking disc 11 at the proximal end and the pipe fixing plate 9 are provided with pin holes 112 and 92 for connecting with the driving mechanism.

Specifically, the distal structural body 1 has a distal locking disk 4 , multiple distal spacer disks 5 and multiple structural bones 6 . The number of distal spacer discs is set according to the length of the required distal structure, while the number of structural bones is set according to the load and compliance that need to be achieved. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, there are 8 pieces Structural bones 6, but also 3, 4, 5, 6...19, 20...roots etc. Structural bone can be elastic thin rods or elastic thin tubes. The distal locking disk 4 and the distal spacer disk 5 may have any suitable annular or semi-annular shape. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the locking disc 4 at the distal end is annular, and is provided with a plurality of structural bone locking holes 41 for locking the structural bone 6, and the structural bone locking holes 41 have a diameter of approximately smaller than the diameter of structural bone. The shape of the distal spacer disc 5 is the same as that of the distal locking disc 4, and the diameter of the structural bone hole 51 thereon is slightly larger than the diameter of the structural bone 6, thereby allowing the structural bone 6 to freely pass through the distal spacer disc 5. When assembling, an elastic sleeve can be arranged between the surface of the structural bone 6 and the spacer disc 5, or a layer of elastic sleeve can be wrapped around the outer periphery of the spacer disc 5, so that the spacer discs 5 are always evenly distributed, and at the same time, the structural bone 6 can be positioned relative to the spacer. Disk 5 slides.

The proximal structural body 3 has a proximal locking disc 11 , multiple proximal spacer discs 10 and multiple structural bones 6 . The number of proximal spacers is set according to the length of the required proximal structure, and the number of structural bones depends on the number of structural bones in the distal structure. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, there are 8 structures Bone 6. The proximal locking disc 11 and the proximal spacing disc 10 may have any suitable annular or semi-annular shape. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the proximal locking disc 11 is annular, and is provided with a structural bone fixing hole 111 for fixing the structural bone 6, and the structure can be fixed by bonding, welding, or interference fit. The bone 6 is fixed into the structural bone fixation hole 111 . Alternatively, a clamping mechanism may also be provided on the proximal locking disc, so as to clamp and fix the structural bone 6 on the proximal locking disc 11 . Four radial drive connection holes 112 (an appropriate number of drive connection holes 112 can be provided as required) are provided on the outer peripheral side of the proximal locking disc 11 for connection with the drive mechanism, which will be described in more detail below . The shape of the proximal spacer disc 10 is substantially the same as that of the proximal locking disc 11, and the diameter of the structural bone hole 101 thereon is slightly larger than the diameter of the structural bone 6, thereby allowing the structural bone 6 to freely pass through the proximal spacer Disk 10. When assembling, an elastic sleeve can be arranged between the surface of the structural bone 6 and the spacer disc 10, or a layer of elastic sleeve can be wrapped around the outer periphery of the spacer disc 10, so that the spacer discs 10 are always evenly distributed, and the structural bone 6 can be positioned relative to the spacer. The disc 10 slides.

The middle connecting body 2 includes a pipe fixing plate 7 connected to the distal structure 1 , a pipe 8 , and a pipe fixing plate 9 connected to the proximal structure 3 . The pipeline fixing plate 7 and the pipeline fixing plate 9 may be any suitable structures provided with holes for the pipeline 8 and the structural bone to pass through. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the pipe fixing plate 7 is a rectangular plate-shaped member, and its middle part is provided with eight through holes 71 distributed at equal angular intervals for the passage of the pipe 8 . The pipe fixing plate 9 is an annular member, on which there are eight through holes 91 distributed at equal angular intervals for the passage of the pipe 8 . Four radial drive connection holes 92 (an appropriate number of drive connection holes 92 can be provided as required) are also provided on the outer peripheral side of the pipe fixing plate 9 for connection with the drive mechanism. Both ends of the pipe 8 are connected to the through holes 71, 91 on the pipe fixing plate 7 and the pipe fixing plate 9 through welding, connection, or interference fit. It should be pointed out that the shape, direction, length, bending and offset of the pipeline 8 can be set arbitrarily. As shown in Fig. 4a, the cross-sectional area occupied by the conduit 8 after being restrained may even be smaller than that of the distal structure 1 or the proximal structure 3, which will be described in more detail below. In addition, if the pipeline fixing plate 7 and the pipeline fixing plate 9 are fixed during use, the pipeline 8 can be eliminated, and the pipeline fixing plate 7 and the pipeline fixing plate 9 are provided with a plurality of holes for structural bones to pass through.

After the assembly is completed, one end of the structural bone 6 is fixed on the distal locking disc 4, passes through the distal spacer 5, the pipe fixing plate 7, the pipe 8, the pipe fixing plate 9, and the proximal spacer 10 in sequence, and finally locks On the proximal locking disc 11. When the driving mechanism (not shown in FIG. 1 ) is driven to bend and/or stretch in any direction by a motor or manually, the proximal structure 3 correspondingly realizes bending and stretching in any direction. And because the length of the structural bone 6 is measurable, estimable or constant, the proximal structural body also realizes arbitrary bending and stretching accordingly, which will be described in more detail below.

2-4b show three variants of the first embodiment of the flexible continuum mechanical structure according to the present invention. The modification shown in Figure 2 differs from the flexible continuum mechanical structure shown in Figure 1 in that the distal locking disk, the distal spacer, the proximal structure, and the middle connection The shape of the pipe of the body is fixed. Wherein, the distal locking disc 4 and the distal spacer disc 5 are in the shape of a square ring with a polygonal cross section, and structural bone holes for the structural bone 6 to pass through are provided on each side of the polygon. The pipeline fixing 9 shape of the middle connecting body is disc-shaped.

The difference between the modified example shown in FIG. 3 and the mechanical structure of the flexible continuum shown in FIG. 1 lies in the shapes of the distal locking disk and the distal spacer disk of the distal structure. In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the distal locking disk and the distal spacer disk is a ring with a gap or called an arc. The rest are the same and will not be described in detail here.

The modification shown in Fig. 4a-4b differs from the mechanical structure of the flexible continuum shown in Fig. 1 in the structure of the middle connecting body. As shown in Figures 4a and 4b, on the basis of the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the middle connecting body 2 can extend a certain distance from the pipe fixing 7, and correspondingly add a plurality of pipe fixing plates 81 and a pipe fixing plate 7a. Thus, the length of the middle connecting body can be extended and the shape of the middle connecting body can be changed to meet different requirements. The shape of the pipeline fixing plate and the arrangement of the pipeline holes can be set according to needs to meet various requirements. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 a , the pipe fixing plate 81 is in the shape of a ring, and the pipe holes on it are arranged in 4 rows and 4 columns. However, those skilled in the art should understand that any shape of pipe fixing plate and any arrangement of pipe fixing holes can be designed according to needs.

Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of the first embodiment of the driving mechanism 200 of the flexible continuum mechanical structure according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5 , the driving mechanism of the flexible continuum mechanical structure is composed of a driving locking disk 13 , a driving spacer disk 14 , a driving structural bone 15 and a driving fixed disk 16 . The driving structural bone 15 is fixed on the driving locking disc 13 and can freely pass through the driving spacer disc 14 and the driving fixing disc 16 . Each driving structural bone 15 is actuated by a motor or manual push-pull (linear motion), and the combination of motions of each driving structural bone 15 can realize the bending and stretching of the driving mechanism in any direction. Pin holes 132 and 161 for connecting with the proximal locking disc 11 and the pipe fixing plate 9 are respectively provided on the driving locking disc 13 and the driving fixing disc 16 .

Specifically, the driving mechanism has a driving locking disk 13 , a plurality of driving spacer disks 14 , a plurality of driving structural bones 15 , and a driving fixed disk 16 . After assembly, the driving mechanism is formed with a through hole along its axis to accommodate the proximal structure 3 . The number of driving spacers is set according to the length of the proximal structural body, and the number of driving structural bones 15 is set according to the load to be realized, but at least three are required, and in the embodiment shown in Fig. 5 there are 4 Roots drive structural bones15. The drive locking disc 13 and the drive spacer disc 14 may have any suitable shape to match the proximal structure. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, the driving locking disc 13 is circular, and is provided with a structural bone fixing hole 131 for fixing the driving structural bone 15, which can be driven by bonding, welding, or interference fit. The structural bone 15 is fixed into the structural bone fixing hole 131 . Alternatively, a clamping mechanism may also be provided on the driving locking disc, so as to clamp and fix the driving structural bone 15 on the driving locking disc 13 . Four drive connection holes 132 (an appropriate number of drive connection holes 132 can be provided as required) are also provided on the outer peripheral side of the drive locking disc 13 for connecting with the proximal structure. The shape of the driving spacer 14 is basically the same as that of the proximal spacer 10, and the diameter of the driving structure bone hole 141 thereon is slightly larger than the diameter of the driving structure bone 15, thus allowing the driving structure bone 15 to freely pass through the driving space Disk 14. When assembling, an elastic sleeve can be arranged between the surface of the driving structural bone 15 and the driving spacer disc 14, or a layer of elastic sleeve can be wrapped around the outer periphery of the driving spacer disc 14, so that each spacer disc 14 is always evenly distributed, while allowing the driving structural bone 15 Can slide relative to the drive spacer plate 14 .

FIGS. 6-9 respectively show the structural views of the flexible continuum mechanical structure 100 in FIGS. 1-4b assembled to the driving mechanism 200 in FIG. 5 . As shown in Figures 6-9, the proximal structural body 3 is accommodated in the formed through hole of the drive mechanism, and passes through the drive connection holes 112 and 92 on the proximal structural body and the pin holes 132 and 161 on the drive mechanism respectively. The flexible continuum mechanical structure 100 is assembled on the driving mechanism 200 by connecting (by pins, etc.). Wherein, the proximal locking disc 11 is fixedly connected with the driving locking disc 13 , and the pipeline fixing plate 9 is fixedly connected with the driving fixing disc 16 .

After assembly, the coordinated push-pull drive of the driving structural bone 15 can make the driving locking disc 13 bend in any direction, and at the same time make the overall length of the driving mechanism expand and contract. Since the driving locking disc 13 and the driving fixing disc 16 are respectively connected with the proximal locking disc 11 and the pipeline fixing plate 9 by bolts, the coordinated push-pull driving of the driving structural bone 15 enables the proximal structural body 3 to turn in any direction. and expansion and contraction, thereby realizing arbitrary bending and expansion and contraction of the distal structure 1 .

Example 2

Fig. 10 shows a structural view of the second embodiment of the flexible continuum mechanical structure according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the flexible continuum mechanical structure can be sequentially extended to form a multi-segment continuum mechanical structure, that is, a multi-segment proximal structure and/or a multi-segment distal structure can be sequentially extended. The embodiment shown in FIG. 10 is extended with two sections of proximal structures and two sections of distal structures, which share a middle connection body. Wherein, the basic structure of each proximal structure body, distal structure body, and middle connecting body is the same as the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , and will not be described in detail here.

As shown in Figure 10, the No. 1 proximal structure 3 and the No. 1 distal structure 1 constitute the No. 1 continuum mechanical structure, while the No. 2 proximal structure 19 and the No. 2 distal structure 18 constitute the No. 2 continuum. Mechanical structure. The distal structure 18 of the mechanical structure of the second continuum is extended to the distal structure 1 of the mechanical structure of the first continuum, and the proximal structure 19 of the mechanical structure of the second continuum is extended to the first continuum The proximal structure of the mechanical structure3. The structural bone 20 of the mechanical structure of the No. 2 continuum is fixedly connected with the distal locking disc 21 of the No. 2 continuum first, passes through the distal spacer disc 22 of the No. 2 continuum, and then passes through the distal end of the No. 1 continuum mechanical structure in turn. Structural body 1 (including No. 1 distal locking disc 4 and No. 1 distal spacer disc 5 ), common pipes 8 in the middle connecting body 2 (the number of pipes 8 is greater than or equal to the structural bone of No. 1 continuum mechanical structure The number of 6 plus the number of structural bones 20 of the second continuum mechanical structure) and the proximal structure body 3 of the first continuum (including the proximal locking disc 11 of the first continuum and the proximal spacer disc of the first continuum 10), pass through the spacer plate 23 at the proximal end of the second continuum, and be fixedly connected to the locking plate 24 at the proximal end of the second continuum. At this time, the No. 1 continuum distal locking disc 4 and the No. 1 continuum proximal locking disc 11 are provided with through holes at corresponding positions, and the No. 2 continuum structural bone 20 can flexibly pass through these through holes. The proximal locking disc 24 of the second continuum, the proximal locking disc 11 of the first continuum and the pipeline fixing plate 9 are provided with pin holes 242 , 112 and 92 for connecting with the driving mechanism. In addition, as required, any number of proximal structures and any number of distal structures may be provided to achieve different telescopic and bending movements.

The structural bone 6 of the No. 1 continuum mechanical structure among the multi-segment continuum mechanical structures shown in FIG. 10 is an elastic thin rod. However, the structural bone 6 of the No. 1 continuum mechanical structure can also be an elastic thin tube. As shown in Figures 11a and 11b, when it is an elastic thin tube, the structural bone 20 of the second continuum can penetrate through the structural bone 6. In addition, the structural bone 6 of the No. 1 continuum can also be partially elastic thin rods and partially elastic thin tubes. The number of pipes 8 in the middle connecting body 2 needs to meet the passage requirements of the No. 1 continuum structural bone 6 and the No. 2 continuum structural bone 20 .

In addition, although the sections of the locking discs and spacer discs in the multi-section continuum mechanical structure shown in Figures 10 and 11 are circular, they can also be of any shape.

Fig. 12 shows a perspective view of the driving mechanism of the second embodiment of the flexible continuum mechanical structure according to the present invention. As shown in Figure 12, the driving mechanism is composed of No. 2 driving locking disc 25, No. 2 driving spacer disc 26, No. 2 driving structure bone 27, No. 1 driving locking disc 13, No. 1 driving spacer disc 14, No. 1 driving structure Bone 15 and driving fixed plate 16 are formed. The second driving structure bone 27 is fixed on the second driving locking disc 25 and can freely pass through the second driving spacer 26 , the first driving locking disc 13 , the first driving spacer 14 and the driving fixing disc 16 . The No. 1 driving structural bone 15 is fixed on the No. 1 driving locking disc 13 and can freely pass through the driving spacer disc 14 and the driving fixing disc 16 . No. two driving locking discs 25, No. one driving locking discs 13 and drive fixing discs 16 are respectively provided with a connecting plate for connecting with the No. two proximal locking discs 24, the No. one proximal locking discs 11 and the pipeline fixing plate 9. The pin hole 252 , the pin hole 132 , and the pin hole 161 .

FIG. 13 shows a structural view of the multi-section flexible continuum mechanical structure in FIG. 10 assembled to the multi-section driving mechanism in FIG. 12 . The multi-section flexible continuum mechanical structure is inserted into the multi-section driving mechanism, and the multi-section flexible continuum mechanical structure and the multi-section driving mechanism are fixed together by bolts or the like. After the assembly is completed, as shown in Figure 13, the coordinated push-pull drive (manual or electromechanical) of the No. 2 driving structural bone 27 and the No. 1 driving structural bone 15 can make the No. Turning in any direction can also simultaneously make the lengths of the two sections of the drive mechanism expand and contract respectively. Because the No. two driving locking disc 25, the No. one driving locking disc 13 and the driving fixed disc 16 are respectively connected with the No. two proximal locking disc 24, the No. one proximal locking disc 11 and the pipeline fixing plate 9 by a latch, the driving The coordinated push-pull drive of the structural bones 27 and 15 enables the No. 2 proximal structure 19 and the No. 1 proximal structure 3 to bend and stretch in any direction, thereby realizing the No. 1 distal structure 1 and the No. 2 distal structure. Arbitrary bending and expansion and contraction of the end structure body 18.

FIG. 14 shows a structural view of the multi-section flexible continuum mechanical structure in FIG. 11a assembled to the multi-section driving mechanism in FIG. 12 . Its driving motion principle is consistent with that shown in Figure 13, and will not be described in detail here.

Example 3

15-16 show the structural views of the third embodiment of the flexible continuum mechanical structure according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the main difference from Embodiment 2 is that a first distal kinematic chain 1a' and a second distal kinematic chain 1a' and a second distal The end kinematic chains 18a' are respectively used to enhance the rigidity, especially the torsional strength, of the No. 1 distal structure body 1' and the No. 2 distal structure body 18'. The first distal-end kinematic chain 1a' and the second distal-end kinematic chain 18a' respectively maintain compatible motion capabilities or motion compatibility with the No. 1 distal-end structure 1' and the No. 2 distal-end structure 18', thereby Can bend and stretch with it. Herein, maintaining compatible mobility or maintaining motion compatibility means that the implantation of the distal kinematic chain does not impede the movement of the distal structure, even if it locally changes the shape of the distal structure.

Specifically, one end of the first distal kinematic chain 1a' is fixed on the pipeline fixing plate or the first distal locking disc 11' of the No. 1 distal structure 1', and the other end is fixed on the on the end plate 12 ′, so that the movement of the No. 1 distal end structure 1 ′ can drive the first distal end kinematic chain 1 a ′ to perform a corresponding movement.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 15-16, the second distal kinematic chain 18a' has a rotary joint-rotary joint-telescopic joint-rotary joint-rotary joint structure. Specifically, the second distal kinematic chain 18a' is composed of at least six components, one end of the first component 18a1' is fixed on the second distal locking disc 181', and the other end can be connected to one end of the second component 18a2'. Rotational connection forms the first rotary joint 18aa'; the other end of the second member 18a2' is rotatably connected with one end of the third member 18a3' to form the second rotary joint 18ab'; the other end of the third member 18a3' is telescopically connected An expansion joint 18ac' is formed at one end of the fourth member 18a4'; the other end of the fourth member is rotatably connected with one end of the fifth member 18a5' to form a third rotary joint 18ad'; the other end of the fifth member is connected with the sixth member 18a6 One end of 'is rotatably connected to form the fourth rotary joint 18ae', and the other end of the sixth member is fixed to the first distal locking disc 12'. The arrangement of the rotating joints and telescopic joints makes the second distal kinematic chain 1a' have a movement capability compatible with the No. 2 distal structure, so that it can bend and stretch in various directions along with the No. 2 distal structure. It should be pointed out that when there are more than seven components, the other end of the sixth component is connected to the seventh component, and the last component is fixed to the distal locking disk 12'.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 15-16, the first distal kinematic chain 1a' on the No. 1 distal end structure 1' is the same as the second distal kinematic chain 18a'. However, it should be understood that the structure of the first distal kinematic chain may also be different from that of the second distal kinematic chain. In fact, the structure of the distal kinematic chain can also adopt other structural forms, as long as it can enhance the rigidity and/or torsional strength of the distal continuum without affecting the bending and stretching motion of the distal continuum. In another embodiment, the distal kinematic chain adopts a flexible shaft, which has high torsional strength and can be easily bent.

In addition, as shown in Fig. 15, when the central connecting body 2' is long, a retaining ring 2a' can be provided for bundling the catheters 8 into one or more bundles to reduce the occupied space of the central connecting body 2. When the length of the middle connector is relatively short, as in the first and second embodiments shown in Figures 1-14, the retaining ring may not be required.

Figures 17a-17b and 18 show two structures for replacing spacer discs in the distal and proximal structures, which are referred to as spacers for ease of illustration. The spacer can be stretched and bent, and is provided with a hole for structural bone to pass through.

As shown in Figures 17a and 17b, the spacer is a corrugated tube 500, and the outer periphery of the corrugated tube 500 is provided with a hole 501 through which the structural bone passes. The spacer can also be a helical spring 600. As shown in FIG. 18, the helical spring is provided with a hole 601 through which the structural bone passes. The materials of the bellows 500 and the helical spring 600 are selected so that they have the required torsional strength while being able to stretch and bend, so that there is no need to add an additional distal kinematic chain.

Fig. 19 shows a schematic structural view of another drive mechanism 200'. For the sake of clarity, only the No. 1 proximal structure body 3' and its driving mechanism 200' are shown in Fig. 19 . The structure of the No. 2 proximal structure body is basically the same as that of the No. 1 proximal structure body, and will not be described in detail here. In this embodiment, the difference between the driving mechanism 200' and the driving mechanism shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 12 is that the driving mechanism 200' is arranged in the proximal continuum and constitutes a part of the proximal continuum. However, the driving mechanisms of Fig. 5 and Fig. 12 are independent mechanisms with different structures.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 19, the driving mechanism 200' is composed of a plurality of connecting rods, and an expansion joint and a rotating joint arranged between the connecting rods and between the connecting rod and the proximal locking disk. The expansion joint can drive a The No. 1 proximal structure body 3' performs telescopic movement, and the rotary joint can drive the No. 1 proximal structure body to make a turning movement.

In a preferred embodiment, the driving mechanism 200' consists of a connecting rod 701, a connecting rod 702, a connecting rod 703, and a rotary joint (not shown) arranged between the connecting rod 701 and the pipe fixing plate 9', and is arranged on the connecting rod 701. The expansion joint 801 between the connecting rod 702, the rotating joint 802 arranged between the connecting rod 702 and the connecting rod 703, the rotating joint arranged between the connecting rod 703 and the proximal locking disk 11' (not shown in the figure) . Wherein, the rotary joint arranged between the connecting rod 703 and the proximal locking disc 11' is a passive rotary joint, and the rest of the rotary joints are active rotary joints, which are all driven to rotate by a motor (not shown in the figure). Each rotary joint can rotate according to the rotation direction indicated by the arrow in the figure, so as to drive the No. 1 proximal structure 3' to make a turning motion. The telescopic joint 801 is also an active joint, driven by a motor (not shown in the figure), to perform telescopic movement in the direction indicated in the figure, thereby driving the No. 1 proximal structure 3' to perform telescopic movement.

It should be pointed out that the specific structure of the driving mechanism 200' built in the proximal structure can be set according to the needs, and is not limited to the structure shown in the figure, as long as it can drive the proximal structure to do telescopic and bending movements , and then drives the distal structure to move accordingly.

It can also be used as a distal kinematic chain by setting each rotary joint and each expansion joint of the above-mentioned drive mechanism 200' as a passive joint and built into the distal structure. Specifically, the distal kinematic chain may include connecting rod one, connecting rod two, connecting rod three, and a rotary joint arranged between the first connecting rod and the pipeline fixing plate or the distal locking disk, An expansion joint between the second connecting rod, a rotary joint arranged between the second connecting rod and the third connecting rod, and a rotary joint arranged between the third connecting rod and the far-end locking disk.

The flexible continuum mechanical structure of the present invention realizes the operation at the proximal end to control the bending and/or expansion and contraction of the distal end mechanism in any direction with a very simple and compact structure, and has a very wide range of applications in the medical field and industrial automation equipment .

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, but it should be understood that those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications to the present invention after reading the above teaching content of the present invention. These equivalent forms also fall within the scope defined by the appended claims of this application.

Claims (10)

1. A flexible continuum mechanical structure, characterized in that it comprises: a distal structure comprising a distal spacer, a distal locking disc and a structural bone; A distal kinematic chain, the distal kinematic chain is built in the distal structure and used to change the rigidity of the distal structure, at least one end of the distal kinematic chain is connected to the distal structure, and the distal maintaining kinematic compatibility with the distal structure; A proximal structure, the proximal structure includes a proximal spacer, a proximal locking disc, and a structural bone, and the structural bone on the distal structure is the same as the corresponding structural bone on the proximal structure are fixedly connected or to the same structural bone; and A middle connecting body, the middle connecting body includes a pipe fixing plate and a pipe; Wherein, the distal structure is associated with the proximal structure via the middle connector, and one end of the structural bone is fixed to the proximal locking disc, passing through the proximal spacer, the middle connector, and the distal spacer in sequence. , and the other end is fixed to the distal locking disk, so that when the proximal structure is driven to bend in any direction, the distal structure correspondingly bends in the opposite direction, or, when the proximal structure is driven When the structure is elongated or shortened, the distal structure is correspondingly shortened or elongated. 2. The flexible continuum mechanical structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: the structural bones of the distal structure and the proximal structure are composed of elastic thin rods or elastic thin tubes. 3. The flexible continuum mechanical structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: the middle connecting body is composed of more than three pipes and more than two pipe fixing plates, and the structural bone of the continuum mechanical structure runs through the Pipe, one end extends into the distal structure, passes through the distal spacer and is fixed on the distal locking disc, and the other end extends into the proximal structure, passes through the proximal spacer Fixed on the proximal locking disc. 4. The flexible continuum mechanical structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: it also includes a driving mechanism, the driving mechanism is composed of a driving locking disk, a driving spacer disk, a driving structural bone and a driving fixed disk, the driving mechanism One end of the structural bone is fixed on the driving locking disk, and passes through the driving spacer disk and the driving fixed disk in sequence; the driving structural bone is composed of elastic thin rods or elastic thin tubes, the number of which is greater than or equal to 3, and the corresponding push and pull movements are realized manually or by an automatically controlled electromechanical system; and the driving mechanism is connected to the proximal structure, so that when the driving structure bone is driven, the driving mechanism drives the proximal structure body bends in any direction, and the distal structure body bends in the opposite direction accordingly, or the driving mechanism drives the proximal structure body to elongate or shorten, and the distal structure body shortens or shortens accordingly. elongation. 5. The flexible continuum mechanical structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: the distal spacer and the proximal spacer are bellows or helical springs or consist of a plurality of spacers, the bellows A hole for the structural bone to pass is provided on the coil spring and the spacer. 6 . The flexible continuum mechanical structure according to claim 1 , wherein a retaining ring is provided on the middle connecting body to divide the fixed pipes of the middle connecting body into multiple bundles. 7 . 7. The flexible continuum mechanical structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: the distal kinematic chain is composed of more than six components, one end of the first component is fixed on the distal locking disc or the pipe fixing plate, The other end is rotatably connected to one end of the second member to form a first rotary joint; the other end of the second member is rotatably connected to one end of the third member to form a second rotary joint; the other end of the third member is telescopically connected One end of the fourth member constitutes an expansion joint; the other end of the fourth member is rotatably connected to one end of the fifth member to form a third rotating joint; the other end of the fifth member is rotatably connected to one end of the sixth member to form a fourth rotating joint Joint, the other end of the sixth member is fixed on the distal locking disk, or the sixth member is connected to the seventh member, and the last member is fixed on the distal locking disk, the setting of each rotary joint and expansion joint The distal kinematic chain maintains kinematic compatibility with the distal structure, so that it can bend and stretch in various directions with the distal structure. 8. A flexible continuum mechanical structure, characterized in that it comprises: a distal structure comprising a distal spacer, a distal locking disc and a structural bone; a distal kinematic chain, the distal kinematic chain is built into the distal structure and is used to change the stiffness of the distal structure, and the distal kinematic chain maintains kinematic compatibility with the distal structure; A proximal structure, the proximal structure includes a proximal spacer, a proximal locking disc, and a structural bone, and the structural bone on the distal structure is the same as the corresponding structural bone on the proximal structure Fixed connection or the same structural bone; a middle connecting body, the middle connecting body includes a pipe fixing plate and a pipe; and a driving mechanism, the driving mechanism is built in the proximal structure; Wherein, the distal structure is associated with the proximal structure via the middle connector, and one end of the structural bone is fixed to the proximal locking disc, passing through the proximal spacer, the middle connector, and the distal spacer in sequence. , the other end is fixed to the distal locking disc, so that when the proximal structure is driven by the driving mechanism to bend in any direction, the distal structure is correspondingly bent in the opposite direction, or, When the proximal structure is driven to elongate or shorten, the distal structure is correspondingly shortened or elongated. 9. The flexible continuum mechanical structure according to claim 8, characterized in that: the driving mechanism consists of a plurality of connecting rods, and telescopic joints arranged between the connecting rods and between the connecting rods and the proximal locking disk and a rotary joint, the telescopic joint can drive the proximal structure body for telescopic operation, and the rotary joint can drive the proximal structure body for bending movement. 10. The flexible continuum mechanical structure according to claim 8, characterized in that: the driving mechanism comprises a connecting rod 1, a connecting rod 2, a connecting rod 3, and a connecting rod arranged between the connecting rod 1 and the pipe fixing plate. Rotary joints, expansion joints arranged between connecting rod 1 and connecting rod 2, rotating joints arranged between connecting rod 2 and connecting rod 3, rotating joints arranged between connecting rod 3 and the proximal locking disc, Among them, the rotary joint arranged between the connecting rod three and the proximal locking disc is a passive rotary joint, and the remaining rotary joints and telescopic joints are active joints, and both the rotary joint and the telescopic joint are driven by a motor to drive the The proximal structure performs bending motion and/or telescopic motion.