CN112274252B

CN112274252B - Surgical instruments, operating equipment and surgical robots

Info

Publication number: CN112274252B
Application number: CN202011063643.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 吴仲兵; 上官希坤; 王建辰
Original assignee: Shenzhen Edge Medical Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Edge Medical Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-09-30
Filing date: 2020-09-30
Publication date: 2025-05-09
Anticipated expiration: 2040-09-30
Also published as: CN112274252A

Abstract

The present invention provides a surgical instrument, a slave operating device using the surgical instrument, and a surgical robot with the slave operating device, wherein the surgical instrument includes an end effector, a driving device, and a cable, the driving device is configured to drive the end effector to move through the cable, the cables include a first pair of cables and a second pair of cables for driving the end effector to perform a yaw motion, and a third pair of cables for driving the end effector to perform a pitch motion, since the yaw motion of the end effector is orthogonal to the pitch motion, there is a coupling relationship between the third pair of cables and the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables on the end effector, the driving device has a decoupling mechanism for releasing the coupling relationship, the decoupling mechanism includes a main decoupling member and a slave decoupling member, the main decoupling member is in the shape of a cam, the main decoupling member rotates coaxially with the third driving unit and drives the slave decoupling member to slide with the cam structure to release the coupling relationship.

Description

Surgical instrument, slave operating device, and surgical robot

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of medical instruments, in particular to a surgical instrument, a slave operation device applying the surgical instrument and a surgical robot with the slave operation device.

Background

Minimally invasive surgery refers to a surgical mode for performing surgery in a human cavity by using modern medical instruments such as laparoscopes, thoracoscopes and related devices. Compared with the traditional operation mode, the minimally invasive operation has the advantages of small wound, light pain, quick recovery and the like.

With the progress of technology, minimally invasive surgical robot technology is gradually mature and widely applied. Minimally invasive surgical robots generally include a master operation console for transmitting control commands to a slave operation device according to operations of a doctor to control the slave operation device, and a slave operation device for responding to the control commands transmitted from the master operation console and performing corresponding surgical operations.

A surgical instrument is connected to and detachable from the slave manipulator, the surgical instrument including a drive arrangement for connecting the surgical instrument to the slave manipulator and receiving a drive force from the slave manipulator to drive movement of the end effector, and an end effector for performing a surgical procedure, the drive arrangement being connected to the end effector by a drive cable, the drive arrangement manipulating movement of the end effector by the drive cable. The end effectors typically include three degrees of freedom of motion, namely, autorotation, pitching and yawing, some of which also have autorotation motion, wherein yawing is controlled by one set of drive cables, pitching is controlled by the other set of drive cables, and since the pitching and yawing of the end effectors are orthogonal, there is a coupling relationship between the drive cables controlling pitching and yaw, i.e., the motion of the drive cables controlling pitching is limited to the drive cables controlling yawing, when the end effector is making pitching motions, and therefore there is a need to decouple such coupling relationship between the two. The prior art adopts a software decoupling method, but the algorithm of the software decoupling method is complex, the complexity of a system control program is increased, and the software decoupling method has errors in data acquisition, so that the coupling relation between the software decoupling method and the system control program cannot be accurately released.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, the present invention provides a surgical instrument, a slave operating device to which the surgical instrument is applied, and a surgical robot having the slave operating device. A surgical instrument comprising an end effector, a drive device configured to drive movement of the end effector by a cable comprising a first pair of cables and a second pair of cables for driving the end effector to perform yaw movement, and a third pair of cables for driving the end effector to perform pitch movement, the drive device comprising:

A drive unit for manipulating the pitch motion of the end effector via a third pair of cables;

The decoupling mechanism comprises a main decoupling piece and a secondary decoupling piece, the main decoupling piece is coaxially arranged with the driving unit, the secondary decoupling piece comprises a sliding frame which is used for being abutted against the main decoupling piece, the secondary decoupling piece further comprises a first guiding part and a second guiding part which are arranged at two ends of the sliding frame and used for guiding a first pair of cables and a second pair of cables, the main decoupling piece is used for coaxially rotating with the driving unit and pushing the sliding frame to move so as to increase the length of one pair of cables in the driving device and reduce the length of the other pair of cables in the driving device, and the driving unit is used for driving the end effector to perform pitching motion.

Preferably, the carriage is formed with a first opening for accommodating a main decoupling member, and the main decoupling member is used for abutting against the carriage in the first opening and driving the carriage to move along a straight line.

Preferably, rotation of the drive unit and the main decoupler in a first direction increases the length of the first pair of cables on the end effector and decreases the length of the second pair of cables on the end effector, and the carriage moves under the urging of the main decoupler to decrease the length of the first pair of cables in the drive and increase the length of the second pair of cables in the drive.

Preferably, the drive unit and the primary decoupler rotate in a second direction opposite the first direction to decrease the length of the first pair of cables on the end effector and increase the length of the second pair of cables on the end effector, and the carriage moves under the urging of the primary decoupler to increase the length of the first pair of cables in the drive and decrease the length of the second pair of cables in the drive.

Preferably, the drive unit and the main decoupler are rotated in the first or second direction such that the length of the first pair of cables on the end effector varies by an amount equal to four times the distance the main decoupler moves within the drive.

Preferably, the sliding frame is provided with a first convex body and a second convex body, the cam structure comprises a first cam and a second cam which are arranged in a staggered mode in the axial direction of the main decoupling piece, and the main decoupling piece rotates to enable the first cam to abut against the first convex body and the second cam to abut against the second convex body so as to push the sliding frame to move.

Preferably, the outer contour of the projection of the first cam and/or the second cam on the plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of the main decoupling member has an involute, and the change amount of the distance from the involute to the rotation axis of the main decoupling member when the main decoupling member rotates has a linear change relationship with the angle by which the main decoupling member rotates around the rotation axis.

Preferably, the outer profile further includes a first arc and a second arc at both ends of the involute, and a distance from the involute to the rotation axis of the main decoupling member gradually increases from an end of the involute connected to the first arc to an end of the involute connected to the second arc.

Preferably, the driving device further comprises a first guide wheel and a second guide wheel, the first pair of cables are guided by the first guide wheel and then guided by the first guide part to extend to the end effector, the second pair of cables are guided by the second guide wheel and then guided by the second guide part to extend to the end effector, the movement direction of the carriage is parallel to the part of the first pair of cables between the first guide wheel and the first guide part, and the movement direction of the carriage is parallel to the part of the second pair of cables between the second guide wheel and the second guide part.

Preferably, the driving device further comprises a third guide wheel, and the portion of the first pair of cables between the first guide part and the end effector is guided by the third guide wheel and then extends to the end effector.

Preferably, the driving device further comprises a fourth guide wheel, and the part of the second pair of cables between the second guide part and the end effector is guided by the fourth guide wheel and then extends to the end effector.

Preferably, the driving device further comprises a mounting seat, wherein the mounting seat comprises a first boss and a second boss positioned on the first boss, and the second boss is used for mounting the first guide wheel, the second guide wheel, the third guide wheel and the fourth guide wheel.

Preferably, the carriage further has a second opening for receiving the second boss.

A slave operation device comprises a mechanical arm and the surgical instrument, wherein the surgical instrument is arranged on the mechanical arm, and the mechanical arm is used for controlling the surgical instrument to move.

The surgical robot comprises a master operation console and the slave operation equipment, wherein the slave operation equipment executes corresponding operation according to the instruction of the master operation console.

The surgical instrument disclosed by the invention uses the mechanical structure to release the coupling relation between the driving cable for controlling the pitching motion of the end effector and the driving cable for controlling the yawing motion of the end effector, can release the coupling relation between the driving cable and the driving cable very accurately and controllably, and reduces the program algorithm of the whole surgical robot by using mechanical decoupling, so that the operation of the surgical robot is more stable.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a slave operating device of a surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a main operation console of a surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a mechanical arm of a slave operation device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a surgical instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 5A-5D are schematic illustrations of the structure of an end effector according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5E is a schematic view of a driving cable according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of a first support frame of an end effector according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6B is a top view of a first support frame of an end effector according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6C is a top view of a first support frame of an end effector according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 7A-7B are schematic illustrations of an end effector in a pitched state according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7C is a schematic view of the end effector of the embodiment of FIG. 5A in a pitch-yaw-splay state;

FIG. 8A is a schematic diagram of a driving device according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 8B and 8C are partial schematic views of the first and second drive cables of the drive device of FIG. 8A wound on a guide wheel;

FIGS. 8D-8E are schematic diagrams illustrating a decoupling process of the driving apparatus of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram of a driving device according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram illustrating a decoupling process of the driving device shown in FIG. 9A;

FIG. 10A is a schematic diagram of a driving device according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10B is a schematic diagram illustrating a decoupling process of the driving device shown in FIG. 10A;

FIG. 11A is a perspective view of a driving device according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11B is a top view of FIG. 11A in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 11C is an exploded view of the decoupling mechanism and mount of the embodiment shown in FIG. 11A;

FIG. 11D is a top view of the primary decoupler of the embodiment shown in FIG. 11A;

Fig. 11E is a schematic diagram of the decoupling process of the embodiment shown in fig. 11A.

Detailed Description

In order that the invention may be readily understood, a more complete description of the invention will be rendered by reference to the appended drawings. The drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. When an element is referred to as being "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or intervening elements may also be present. When an element is said to be "coupled" to another element, it is intended that the change in at least one element is limited by the other element, and that the element is "decoupled," i.e., decoupled, meaning that two elements having a coupling relationship no longer have a coupling relationship, and that the change in one element is no longer limited by the other element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and the like are used herein for illustrative purposes only and are not meant to be the only embodiment. The terms "distal" and "proximal" are used herein as directional terms that are conventional in the art of interventional medical devices, wherein "distal" refers to the end of the procedure that is distal to the operator and "proximal" refers to the end of the procedure that is proximal to the operator.

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

The minimally invasive surgical robot generally includes a slave operation device and a master operation console, fig. 1 illustrates a slave operation device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 2 illustrates a master operation console 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention, a surgeon performs related control operations on the slave operation device 100 on the master operation console 200, and the slave operation device 100 performs a surgical operation on a human body according to input instructions of the master operation console 200. The master operation console 200 and the slave operation device 100 may be placed in one operating room, or may be placed in different rooms, or even the master operation console 200 and the slave operation device 100 may be far apart, for example, the master operation console 200 and the slave operation device 100 may be located in different cities, respectively, the master operation console 200 and the slave operation device 100 may perform data transmission in a wired manner, or may perform data transmission in a wireless manner, for example, the master operation console 200 and the slave operation device 100 may be located in one operating room, perform data transmission in a wired manner, or may perform remote data transmission in a 5G wireless signal between the two, for example, the master operation console 200 and the slave operation device 100 may be located in different cities, respectively.

As shown in fig. 1, the slave manipulator 100 includes a plurality of manipulator arms 110, each manipulator arm 110 including a plurality of joints and one holding arm 130, the plurality of joints being linked to achieve movement of the holding arm 130 in a plurality of degrees of freedom, the holding arm 130 having a surgical instrument 120 mounted thereon for performing a surgical operation, the surgical instrument 120 being passed through a trocar 140 fixed at a distal end of the holding arm 130 into a human body, the manipulator arm 110 being for manipulating the surgical instrument 120 to move to perform the operation. The surgical instrument 120 is detachably mounted on the holding arm 130 so that different types of surgical instruments 120 can be replaced or the surgical instrument 120 can be removed at any time to flush or sterilize the surgical instrument 120. As shown in fig. 3, the holding arm 130 includes a holding arm body 131 and an instrument mounting rack 132, the instrument mounting rack 132 is used for mounting the surgical instrument 120, and the instrument mounting rack 132 can slide on the holding arm body 131, so as to drive the surgical instrument 120 to advance or withdraw along the holding arm body 131.

As shown in fig. 4, the surgical instrument 120 includes a driving device 170 and a distal end effector 150, respectively, at a proximal end of the surgical instrument 120, and a long shaft 160 between the driving device 170 and the end effector 150, the driving device 170 being adapted to be coupled to an instrument mount 132 of the arm 130, the instrument mount 132 having a plurality of actuators (not shown) therein, the plurality of actuators being engaged with the driving device 170 to transmit driving forces of the actuators to the driving device 170. The long shaft 160 is used to connect the drive device 170 and the end instrument 150, the long shaft 160 is hollow for the drive cable to pass through, and the drive device 170 is operated by the movement of the end effector 150 through the drive cable to cause the end effector 150 to perform the associated surgical operation.

Fig. 5A-5D are schematic structural views of an end effector 150 according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the end effector 150 shown in fig. 5A includes a first support 210 and a second support 220, a distal end of the first support 210 includes a first support 314 and a second support 315, a proximal end of the first support 210 includes a chassis 316, one end of the chassis 316 is connected to the long shaft 160, the first support 314 and the second support 315 extend from another end of the chassis 316 toward a distal end of the end effector 150, and the first support 314, the second support 315, and the chassis 316 form a substantially U-shaped clip structure.

A first pin 311 and a second pin 312 are provided between the first support 314 and the second support 315, one end of the first pin 311 is fixedly connected to the first support 314, the other end thereof is fixedly connected to the second support 315, and likewise, one end of the second pin 312 is fixedly connected to the first support 314, the other end thereof is fixedly connected to the second support 315, and the second pin 312 is disposed on the first support 314 and the second support 315 side by side with the first pin 311, wherein the first pin 311 is closer to the bottom frame 316 of the first bracket 210 than the second pin 312.

For better illustration of the structure of the proximal end of the end effector 150, the first bracket 210 is not shown in fig. 5B and 5C, and as shown in fig. 5B and 5C, the first pin 311 is provided with a first pulley block including a first pulley 211, a second pulley 212, a third pulley 213 and a fourth pulley 214 sequentially provided on the first pin 311, the second pin 312 is provided with a second pulley block including a fifth pulley 215, a sixth pulley 216, a seventh pulley 217 and an eighth pulley 218 sequentially provided on the second pin 312, and all of the first pulley 211 to the eighth pulley 218 are for guiding the driving cable, and since all of the pulleys for guiding the driving cable are provided on the first bracket 210, no pulley is provided on the second bracket 220, the volume of the second bracket 220 can be made smaller, so that the end effector 150 is smaller and there is no risk of the pulleys falling off.

The second bracket 210 is provided with a third strut 317, a fourth strut 318 and a pitch wheel 319, the third strut 317 and the fourth strut 318 are formed to extend from the pitch wheel 319 along the distal end of the end effector 150, the third strut 317, the fourth strut 318 and the pitch wheel 319 form a generally U-shaped frame, the pitch wheel 319 of the second bracket 220 is mounted on the second pin 312, and the second bracket 220 is rotatable about AA' passing through the axis of the second pin 312 to effect pitch movement of the end effector 150.

A third pin 313 is arranged between the third post 317 and the fourth post 318 of the second bracket 220, one end of the third pin 313 is fixedly connected to the third post 317, the other end of the third pin 313 is fixedly connected to the fourth post 318, and the third pin 313 is mutually perpendicular to the first pin 311 and the second pin 312. The clamping part of the end effector 150 includes a first clamping part 230 and a second clamping part 240, the first clamping part 230 and the second clamping part 240 are rotatably disposed on the second bracket 220 by a third pin 313, the first clamping part 230 and the second clamping part 240 can rotate around an axis BB' passing through the third pin 313 to realize opening and/or closing and/or yaw movement of the end effector 150, and the first clamping part 230 and the second clamping part 240 can be jaws for clamping tissue, or a stapler for suturing, or a cautery for electro-cautery, or the like.

As shown in fig. 5A-5D, the directional references in fig. 5A and 5B are for convenience in describing the manner in which the drive cables are routed over the end effector 150, where distal and proximal references in the references refer to the distal and proximal directions of the end effector 150, and front, back, left, and right references to the front, back, left, and right directions of the end effector 150 from the perspective of fig. 5A and 5B, and other references to the direction of the end effector 150, although not shown, are made in the drawings, and the drive cables disposed in the end effector 150 include first and second pairs of cables for manipulating the opening and/or yaw movement of the end effector 150, and the first and second pairs of cables include first and second drive cables 151A and 151B, wherein one ends of the first and second drive cables 151A and 151B may be joined together or separated, as is the case for the second and third pairs of cables. The second pair of cables includes a third drive cable 152A and a fourth drive cable 152B, the third pair of cables including a fifth drive cable 153A and a sixth drive cable 153B. As shown in fig. 5E, each drive cable includes 3 segments, for example, a first drive cable 151A, the first drive cable 151A including a first segment cable 151A1 for connection to the drive device and a second segment cable 151A2 for connection to the end effector, the first segment cable 151A1 and the second segment cable 151A2 being connected using a rigid bar 151A3, which is more efficient than using the entire drive cable and also tends to result in multiple drive cables intertwining within the long axis 160. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the drive cable may be a complete cable that is not segmented.

On the side of the end effector 150, the first pair of cables are wound on the first pulley block and the second pulley block in the opposite manner to the second pair of cables are wound on the first pulley block and the second pulley block, the first driving cable 151A of the first pair of cables is wound on the first pulley block and the second pulley block in the same manner as the second driving cable 151B is wound on the first pulley block and the second pulley block, and the third driving cable 152A of the second pair of cables is wound on the first pulley block and the second pulley block in the same manner as the fourth driving cable 152B is wound on the first pulley block and the second pulley block. Specifically, the proximal end of the first drive cable 151A is connected to a drive unit within the drive device 170, and the distal end of the first drive cable 151A extends toward the distal end of the end effector 150 after being guided over the front of the first pulley 211 and continues along the distal end of the end effector 150 after being guided over the rear of the fifth pulley 215 and finally secured to the first clamp 230. The second drive cable 151B extends distally of the end effector 150 after being directed through the front of the fourth pulley 214 and continues distally of the end effector 150 after being directed through the rear of the eighth pulley 218 and is finally secured to the first clamp 230. The distal end of the third drive cable 152A extends distally of the end effector 150 after being directed rearward of the second pulley 212 and continues distally of the end effector 150 after being directed forward of the sixth pulley 216 and is secured to the second clamp 240, and the distal end of the fourth drive cable 152B extends distally of the end effector 150 after being directed rearward of the third pulley 213 and continues distally of the end effector 150 after being directed forward of the seventh pulley 217 and transitions to the second clamp 240.

The first and second drive cables 151A and 151B together drive the first and second clamps 230 about the axis BB ', and the third and fourth drive cables 152A and 152B together drive the second clamp 240 about the axis BB', and the first, second, third and fourth drive cables 151A, 151B, 152A and 152B together drive the first and second clamps 230 and 240 to perform an opening and/or a yaw movement.

The proximal ends of the fifth drive cable 153A and the sixth drive cable 153B of the third pair of cables are received in the annular grooves of the pitch wheel 319 at their distal ends, respectively, and the ends of the fifth drive cable 153A and the sixth drive cable 153B are secured within the second bracket 220, respectively, and the fifth drive cable 153A and the sixth drive cable 153B together drive the second bracket 220 to rotate along the axis AA ', and the second bracket 220 in turn drives the first clamping portion 230 and the second clamping portion 240 together to perform a pitch motion along the axis AA'.

The end effector 150 of the present invention is different from the conventional end effector in both structure and winding manner of the driving cable, and the conventional end effector has a first pulley block disposed on a first bracket of the end effector and a second pulley block disposed on a second bracket, and the second pulley block performs pitching motion along with the second bracket. In addition, the winding manner of the driving cable according to the present invention is also different from the prior art, after the driving cable according to the present invention is wound in the above-mentioned winding manner, as shown in fig. 5A to 5D, the first driving cable 151A of the first pair of cables has a first portion cable 151Aa between the fifth pulley 215 and the first clamping portion 230, the second driving cable 151B of the first pair of cables has a second portion cable 151Ba between the eighth pulley 218 and the first clamping portion 230, the third driving cable 152A of the second pair of cables has a third portion cable 152Aa between the sixth pulley 216 and the second clamping portion 240, and the fourth driving cable 152B of the second pair of cables has a fourth portion cable 152Ba between the seventh pulley 217 and the first clamping portion 240, wherein, regardless of the pitching movement of the end effector 150, the first portion cable 151Aa and the second portion cable 151Ba are always located on the same side of the plane M, the third portion cable 152Aa and the fourth portion cable 152Ba are always located on the same side of the other side of the plane M, and the plane M is a plane 313 'passing through the axis line of the second pin 312 and is perpendicular to the axis line 313' of the third pin. The first part of the cable 151Aa and the second part of the cable 151Ba are always located on the same side of the plane M, and the third part of the cable 152Aa and the fourth part of the cable 152Ba are always located on the same side of the other side of the plane M, so that the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables are simpler and more neat in winding on the end effector 150, and easier in assembly.

As shown in fig. 5C and 5D, the first and second driving cables 151A and 151B have fifth and sixth partial cables 151Ab and 151Bb between the first bracket 210 (the first bracket 210 is not shown in fig. 5C and 5D for convenience of illustration of the driving cables) to the first and fourth pulleys 211 and 214, respectively, the third and fourth driving cables 152A and 151B have seventh and eighth partial cables 152Ab and 152Bb between the first bracket 210 to the second and third pulleys 212 and 213, respectively, the fifth and sixth partial cables 151Ab and 151Bb are all located on the same side of a plane P, which means an axial plane passing through the axis of the first pin 311 and the second pin 312 at the same time, and the seventh and eighth partial cables 152Ab and 152Bb are all located on the same side of the other side of the plane P.

As shown in fig. 6A and 6B, the bottom frame 316 of the first bracket 210 has a plurality of through holes for passing the driving cables, including a first through hole 219a for passing the fifth part cable 151Ab of the first driving cable 151A, a second through hole 219B for passing the sixth part cable 151Bb of the second driving cable 151B, a third through hole 219c for passing the seventh part cable 152Ab of the third driving cable 152A, a fourth through hole 219d for passing the eighth part cable 152Bb of the fourth driving cable 152B, a fifth through hole 219e for passing the fifth driving cable 153A, and a sixth through hole 219f for passing the sixth driving cable 153B. In order to allow the first and second drive cables 151A and 151B, the third and fourth drive cables 152A and 152B to simultaneously make the same change (e.g., increase or decrease in length) as the end effector 150 is tilted, the first and second through holes 219a and 219B are located on the same side of the plane P, the third and fourth through holes 219c and 219B are located on the other side of the plane P, and a straight line passing through both the first and second through holes 219a and 219B is parallel to a straight line passing through both the center of the third and fourth through holes 219c and 219d, and due to the parallel relationship, the drive cables can be extended straight through the through holes on the bottom frame 316 of the first bracket 210 to the first pulley block, thereby allowing the drive cable to be driven with a relatively high efficiency.

As shown in fig. 6B, the first through hole 219a, the second through hole 219B, the third through hole 219c, and the fourth through hole 219d are located at four vertices of the trapezoid, respectively, such that the first driving cable 151A and the second driving cable 151B pass through the outer first pulley 211 and the fourth pulley 214, respectively, and the third driving cable 152A and the fourth driving cable 152B pass through the inner second pulley 212 and the third pulley 213, respectively, so that the driving force loss of the fifth driving cable 153A and the sixth driving cable 153B is small when the end effector 150 is driven to pitch motion, and the fifth through hole 219e and the sixth through hole 219f are located outside the trapezoid composed of the first through hole 219a, the second through hole 219B, the third through hole 219c, and the fourth through hole 219 d.

Another embodiment is shown in fig. 6C, in which the first through hole 319a, the second through hole 319b, the third through hole 319C, and the fourth through hole 319d are located on four vertices of a parallelogram, and the fifth through hole 319e and the sixth through hole 319f are located outside the parallelogram formed by the first through hole 319a, the second through hole 319b, the third through hole 319C, and the fourth through hole 319 d.

The fifth part of the cable of the first driving cable and the sixth part of the cable of the second driving cable are respectively positioned at the opposite side of the plane P, the seventh part of the cable of the third driving cable and the eighth part of the cable of the fourth driving cable are respectively positioned at the opposite side of the plane P, and two through holes for the first driving cable and the second driving cable of the first pair of cables to pass through are respectively positioned at the opposite side of the plane P on the distribution of through holes for the driving cables to pass through, and the two through holes for the third driving cable and the fourth driving cable of the second pair of cables to pass through are respectively positioned at the opposite side of the plane P. Because the end effector and the existing end effector have different whole structures and winding modes, the end effector is safer than the prior art, the driving cables and pulleys are not easy to fall off, the assembly of the end instrument is easier, and the whole end instrument is smaller. While the end instrument of the present invention presents the above-described advantages over the prior art, the end instrument of the present invention presents a new challenge in that the drive means of the prior end effector is not capable of driving the end effector of the present invention, and more particularly, the method of decoupling the coupling relationship of the third pair of cables and the first and second pairs of cables used by the drive means of the prior end effector is no longer applicable to the end effector of the present invention.

The coupling relationship between the third pair of cables and the first and/or second pair of cables of the end instrument 150 is described in detail below, as shown in fig. 5A-5D, with the tangent points of the first portion of cable 151Aa, the second portion of cable 151Ba, the third portion of cable 152Aa, and the fourth portion of cable 152Ba exiting the fifth pulley 215, the eighth pulley 218, the sixth pulley 216, and the seventh pulley 217, respectively, lying on a plane a, which is a plane passing through the first axis Aa' and perpendicular to the plane P.

When the end effector 150 is to perform the pitching motion, the driving device 170 is required to retract the fifth driving cable 153A or the sixth driving cable 153B of the third pair of cables, so that the second bracket 220 drives the first clamping portion 230 and the second clamping portion 240 to perform the pitching motion together around the first axis AA ', as shown in fig. 7A and 7B, the driving device 170 is required to retract the sixth driving cable 153B, so that the second bracket 220 and the first clamping portion 230 and the second clamping portion 240 perform the pitching motion around the first axis AA', and if the end effector 150 performs only the pitching motion, the lengths of the first part cable 151AA, the second part cable 151Ba, the third part cable 152AA and the fourth part cable 153Ba need to be maintained constant, otherwise, the yawing or opening and closing motion of the end effector 150 is caused.

In the process of rotating the end effector 150 from the straight state shown in fig. 5A-5D to the pitch state shown in fig. 7A-7B, if the target pitch angle through which the end effector 150 needs to be rotated is α when the drive device 170 pulls the sixth drive cable 153B, then the plane a needs to be rotated from the position in fig. 5D to the position in plane B of fig. 7A by α angle, if the radii of the first pulley block and the second pulley block are both r1, in order to successfully rotate the end effector 150 by the pitch angle α of the target, then the wrap angle lengths of the first drive cable 151A and the second drive cable 151B on the fifth pulley 215 and the eighth pulley 218, respectively, must be increased by the length L at the same time, where l=α×r1, and the wrap angle lengths of the corresponding third drive cable 152A and the fourth drive cable 152B on the sixth pulley 216 and the seventh pulley 217, respectively, are decreased by the length L at the same time. While in the drive device 170, the first drive cable 151A and the second drive cable 151B are wound around the rotatable first drive unit 171 in opposite directions, the third drive cable 152A and the fourth drive cable 152B are wound around the rotatable second drive unit 172 in opposite directions, and the first drive unit 171 and the second drive unit 172 are rotationally fixed on their axes of rotation, so that the first drive unit 171 and the second drive unit 172 cannot translate, and thus merely by rotating the first drive unit 171 cannot cause the lengths of the first drive cable 151A and the second drive cable 151B to be increased or decreased simultaneously, and likewise, rotating the second drive unit 172 cannot cause the lengths of the third drive cable 152A and the fourth drive cable 152B to be increased or decreased simultaneously, as described above, while in order to successfully cause the pitch motions of the end effector 150 to be performed, the lengths of the first drive cable 151A and the second drive cable 151B on the end effector 150 must be increased or decreased simultaneously, and the pair of the lengths of the third drive cable 152A and the fourth drive cable 152B must be increased or decreased simultaneously.

Such a relationship in which a change of one element is limited by another element is referred to as a coupling relationship, i.e., a coupling relationship exists between one element and another element. Such constrained relationship for the first, second and third pairs of cables may be such that the third pair of cables is constrained to the first and/or second pairs of cables such that the third pair of cables is completely incapable of effecting pitch motion, or such that the third pair of cables is constrained to the first and/or second pairs of cables such that any one of the first, second and third pairs of cables causes undesired movement of the other cables such that undesired movement of the end effector is also caused to be incapable of effecting desired operation, e.g., such that when the third pair of cables is in pitch motion with respect to the first and/or second pairs of cables, the movement of the third pair of cables simultaneously causes movement of the first and/or second pairs of cables such that the end effector is simultaneously responsible for effecting pitch and/or yaw motion of the end effector while the pitch motion causes the end effector to be incapable of effecting pitch and/or yaw motions of the end effector and the pitch and yaw motions of the end effector such that the end effector are not capable of effecting pitch and yaw motions of the end effector independently of the end effector. It is therefore desirable to decouple the third pair of cables from the first and/or second pair of cables so that movement of the third pair of cables is no longer limited to the first and/or second pair of cables, and movement of the third pair of cables is independent of, does not interfere with, or affect each other, and such decoupling is referred to as decoupling.

For decoupling the above-mentioned coupling relation, one existing decoupling method is to use a software algorithm to perform decoupling, where the main operation console 200 controls the third driving unit to drive the third pair of cables to move, and controls the first driving unit and the second driving unit to drive the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables to move so that the wrap angle length of the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables on pulleys increases or decreases along with the movement of the third pair of cables, but this decoupling method needs to make the first part cable 151Aa and the second part cable 151Ba of the first pair of cables on the end effector be located on different sides of the plane M respectively, and the third part cable 152Aa and the fourth part cable 152Ba of the second pair of cables also be located on different sides of the plane M respectively, so that the first driving cable 151A and the second driving cable 151B of the first pair of cables form a loop crossing the plane M, and the third driving cable 152A and the fourth driving cable 152B of the second pair of cables also form a loop crossing the plane M, so that decoupling can be achieved by implementing the motion of the software control driving unit. However, the first and second partial cables 151Aa and 151Ba of the first pair of cables on the end effector of the embodiment of the present invention shown in fig. 5A are on the same side of the plane M, and the third and fourth partial cables 153Aa and 153Ba of the second pair of cables are also on the same side of the plane M, so that the existing software decoupling method cannot decouple the end effector of this type of the present invention. In addition, the method of decoupling by using the software algorithm can lead to complex control program of the surgical robot and easy error, and the method of decoupling by using the software algorithm can lead to that each driving unit of the driving mechanism of the surgical instrument loses independence, in particular, the driving device is internally provided with three driving units respectively driving three pairs of cables, and the control of the driving units is in opposition to each other in ideal condition, however, when decoupling by using the software algorithm, the three driving units are required to be controlled to move together simultaneously, thereby leading to that the three driving units lose independence and easy error in control.

The present invention proposes a mechanical decoupling scheme, in which a mechanical decoupling mechanism is provided in the driving device 170 of the surgical instrument 120, so as to avoid the above-mentioned drawbacks of software algorithm decoupling.

Fig. 8A is a schematic diagram of a driving device 170 according to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the driving device 170 is adapted to drive the end effector shown in fig. 5A. The driving device 170 includes a first driving unit 171 and a second driving unit 172 for driving the end effector 150 to perform an opening and/or closing and/or yaw motion, a third driving unit 173 for driving the end effector 150 to perform a pitch motion, and a fourth driving unit 174 for driving the long shaft 160 to perform a rotation motion. The first and second driving cables 151A and 151B of the first pair of cables are wound around the first driving unit 171 in opposite winding manners, the third and fourth driving cables 152A and 152B of the second pair of cables are wound around the second driving unit 172 in opposite winding manners, the fifth and sixth driving cables 153A and 153B of the third pair of cables are wound around the third driving unit 173 in opposite winding manners, and the seventh and eighth driving cables 154A and 154B are wound around the fourth driving unit 174 in opposite winding manners, respectively.

When the actuator drive shaft 171A in the instrument mount 132 rotates the first drive unit 171 about its axis, the first drive unit 171 retracts or releases the first drive cable 151A or the second drive cable 151B to rotate the first clamp portion 230 about its third pin 313, and when the actuator in the instrument mount 132 drives the second drive unit 172 about its axis 172A, the second drive unit 172 retracts or releases the second drive cable 152A or the third drive cable 152B to rotate the second clamp portion 240 about the third pin 313, the first clamp portion 230 and the second clamp portion 240 move about the third pin 313 such that the end effector 150 performs an opening and/or a yaw movement. When the actuator drive shaft 173A in the instrument mount 132 rotates to rotate the third drive unit 173, the third drive unit 173 pulls or releases the fifth drive cable 153A or the sixth drive cable 153B to rotate the second bracket 220 about the axis AA' of the second pin 312 to effect the end effector 150 to perform a pitching motion. When the actuator within the instrument mount 132 drives the fourth drive unit 174 to rotate with its shaft 174A, the fourth drive unit 174 retracts or releases either the seventh drive cable 154A or the eighth drive cable 154B to effect rotational movement of the drive shaft 160.

The drive 170 further includes a decoupling mechanism for decoupling the third pair of cables from the first and second pairs of cables on the side of the end effector 150, the decoupling mechanism including a master decoupling member 1761 and a slave decoupling member 176, the slave decoupling member 176 including a carriage 1762 and first and second guides 1763, 1764 connected at opposite ends of the carriage 1762, the master decoupling member 1761 being connected to the carriage 1762 by first and second decoupling cables 1767, 1768, the master decoupling member 1761 manipulating movement of the slave decoupling member by driving the first and second decoupling cables 1767, 1768. The first and second decoupling cables 1767, 1768 are wound around the main decoupling member 1761 in opposite fashion, the main decoupling member 1761 and the third drive unit 173 move at the same angular velocity, the main decoupling member 1761 and the third drive unit 173 may be disposed on the same shaft 173A, so that the main decoupling member 1761 rotates coaxially with the third drive unit 173 along with the shaft 173A, and in some embodiments, the main decoupling member 1761 and the third drive unit 173 may be disposed on different rotational shafts, respectively. The primary decoupling 1761 and the third drive unit 173 have different radii, the primary decoupling 1761 has a radius R2 and the third drive unit 173 has a radius R2, where R2< R2, the primary decoupling 1761 effects movement from the decoupling by pulling or releasing either the first decoupling cable 1767 or the second decoupling cable 1768. The main decoupling element 1761 and the third driving unit 173 may receive driving from the same power source, i.e. the actuator in the above-mentioned slave operation device, and in other embodiments, the main decoupling element and the third driving unit are disposed on different rotation shafts, but the main decoupling element still receives the driving force homologous to the third driving unit, for example, the main decoupling element and the third driving unit are separately connected and driven by different manners on the same actuator, and the same power source is used to drive the third driving unit and the main decoupling element simultaneously, so that the decoupling control is simpler, the decoupling mechanism does not need to separately redetect the coupling state, the main decoupling element and the coupling source (i.e. the third driving unit) receive the same control information, and the structure on the transmission side is different.

As shown in fig. 8A, the first driving cable 151A and the second driving cable 151B are guided by the third guide wheel 177A, the first guide portion 1763 and the third guide wheel 177C, and then extend into the long shaft and are connected to the end effector 150. Third drive cable 152A and fourth drive cable 152B extend through second guide wheel 177B, second guide 1764, and fourth guide wheel 177D, and into the long shaft, and are coupled to end effector 150. The fifth driving cable 153A and the sixth driving cable 153B are guided by the fifth guide wheel 177E and the sixth guide wheel 177F, respectively, and then extend into the long shaft and are connected to the end effector 150, and as to how the first driving cable 151A to the sixth driving cable 153B are connected to the end effector 150, the foregoing is described in detail, and will not be repeated here.

As shown in fig. 8D, when the third drive unit 173 rotates in the counterclockwise (first direction) along with its shaft 173A, the third drive unit 173 pulls the sixth drive cable 153B and simultaneously releases the fifth drive cable 153A, so that the second bracket 220 of the end effector 150 rotates about the axis AA' of the second pin 312 as in fig. 7A and 7B, and the entire end effector 150 performs a pitching motion. As described above, at this time, the wrap angle lengths of the first and second driving cables 151A and 151B on the fifth and eighth pulleys 215 and 218, respectively, need to be increased by L at the same time, and at the same time, the wrap angle lengths of the third and fourth driving cables 152A and 152B on the sixth and seventh pulleys 216 and 217 need to be decreased by L at the same time in order for the end effector 150 to smoothly perform the pitching motion. Since the main decoupling member 1761 of the decoupling mechanism rotates coaxially 173 with the third drive unit 173, while the third drive unit 173 rotates counter-clockwise with the shaft 173A, the main decoupling member 1761 also rotates counter-clockwise with the shaft 173A, when the main decoupling member 1761 pulls the first decoupling cable 1767 and simultaneously releases the second decoupling cable 1768, if the arc length through which the main decoupling member 1761 rotates is L/2, the slave decoupling member moves L/2 distance in the a direction under the pull of the first decoupling cable 1767, when the length of the first and second drive cables 151A and 151B within the drive device 170 will simultaneously decrease L due to the movement of the slave decoupling member, i.e. the length of the first pair of cables within the drive device 170 will decrease by 2L, and correspondingly the length of the third and fourth drive cables 152A and 152B within the drive device 170 will simultaneously increase by L, i.e. the length of the second pair of cables within the drive device 170 increases by 2L.

Whereby the decrease in length of the first and second drive cables 151A, 151B within the drive device 170 is equal to the increase in wrap angle length of the first and second drive cables 151A, 151B on the fifth and eighth pulleys 215, 218, respectively, and the increase in length of the third and fourth drive cables 152A, 152B within the drive device 170 is equal to the decrease in wrap angle length of the third and fourth drive cables 152A, 152B on the sixth and seventh pulleys 216, 217, respectively. Conversely, as shown in fig. 8E, when the third driving unit 173 and the main decoupler 1761 are rotated clockwise (in the second direction) together, the length of the first and second driving cables 151A and 151B within the driving device 170 are increased by the same amount as the amount of decrease in wrap angle length of the first and second driving cables 151A and 151B on the fifth and eighth pulleys 215 and 218, respectively, and the amount of decrease in length of the third and fourth driving cables 152A and 152B within the driving device 170 is equal to the amount of increase in wrap angle length of the third and fourth driving cables 152A and 152B on the sixth and seventh pulleys 216 and 217, respectively. Whereby the amount of change in length of the first and second cables on the side of the end effector due to pitch motion of the end effector is provided entirely by the change in length of the first and second cables within the drive means, and therefore the movement of the third pair of cables will no longer be limited by the first and second pairs of cables, and the decoupling mechanism effects decoupling of the third pair of cables from the first and second pairs of cables.

In order to enable precise and controllable decoupling of the coupling relationship between the first pair of cables and the second and third pairs of cables at the decoupling mechanism, the primary decoupling member 1761 of the decoupling mechanism drives the secondary decoupling member 176 to move in a straight line at all times, and the length changes of the first, second, third and fourth drive cables 151A, 151B, 152A, 152B caused by the movement of the secondary decoupling member 176 are always linear. As shown in fig. 9A-9C, the first decoupling cable 1767 is secured to one end of the secondary decoupling member 176 in the direction of movement of the secondary decoupling member 176 after being redirected by the seventh guide wheel 1765, and likewise the second decoupling cable 1768 is secured to the other end of the secondary decoupling member 176 in the direction of movement of the secondary decoupling member 176 after being redirected by the eighth guide wheel 1766, such that movement of the primary decoupling member 1761 will cause linear movement of the secondary decoupling member 176. And the portion of the first decoupling cable 1767 between the seventh guide wheel 1765 and the slave decoupling member 176 and the portion of the second decoupling cable 1768 between the eighth guide wheel 1766 and the slave decoupling member 176 are parallel to the direction of movement of the slave decoupling member 176, the length change speed of the first and second decoupling cables 1767, 1768 is proportional to the rotational linear speed of the master decoupling member 1761 during decoupling, and therefore, the movement speed of the slave decoupling member 176 is proportional to the rotational linear speeds of the master decoupling member 1761 and the third drive unit 173, thereby enabling the decoupling process to be precisely controlled.

As shown in fig. 8B to 8C, the first guide pulley 177A, the first guide 1763 and the third guide pulley 177C are each of a structure having two pulleys side by side for guiding the first driving cable 151A and the second driving cable 151B, respectively, the first driving cable 151A is formed with a first decoupling portion cable 151Ac between the third guide pulley 177C and the first guide pulley 1763, a third decoupling portion cable 151Ad is formed between the first guide pulley 1763 and the first guide pulley 177A, the second driving cable 151B is formed with a second decoupling portion cable 151Bc between the third guide pulley 177C and the first guide pulley 1763, a fourth decoupling portion cable 151Bd is formed between the first guide pulley 1763 and the first guide pulley 177A, and similarly, the second guide pulley 1764, the second guide pulley 177B and the fourth guide pulley 177D are each of a structure having two pulleys side by side, the third and fourth driving cables 152A and 152B have fifth and sixth decoupling cables 152Ac and 152Bc between the fourth and second guide wheels 177D and 1764, respectively, and seventh and eighth decoupling cables 152Ad and 177B between the second and third guide wheels 1764 and 177B (hidden by the seventh decoupling cable 152Ad in fig. 8A), in order to enable more precise decoupling, it is necessary to make the length variation of the first and second decoupling cables 151Ac and 151Bc equal to the length variation of the second decoupling cable 151Bc during decoupling, so that the first and second decoupling cables 151Ac and 151Bc form an angle θ with a plane passing through the center of the third guide wheel 177C and perpendicular to the axis C1 of the third guide wheel 177C, respectively, the fifth and seventh decoupling cables 152Ac and 152Bc also have the same arrangement as the seventh guide wheel 177D, this can make the length variation amounts of the first and second decoupling portion cables 151Ac and 151Bc the same during the decoupling process, and the length variation amounts of the fifth and seventh decoupling portion cables 152Ac and 152Bc the same. In addition, because θ is smaller, the axial distance H1 between the first decoupling portion cable 151Ac and the second decoupling portion cable 151Bc and the first guide wheel 1764 and the fourth guide wheel 177B is approximately equal, and during the decoupling process, the first decoupling portion cable 151Ac and the second decoupling portion cable 151Bc are approximately parallel to the moving direction of the slave decoupling member, so that the nonlinear changes of the first decoupling portion cable 151Ac and the second decoupling portion cable 151Bc during the decoupling process caused by the first decoupling portion cable 151Ac and the second decoupling portion cable 151Bc are smaller, and more accurate decoupling is realized.

As shown in fig. 8C, the third, fourth, seventh and eighth decoupling portion cables 151Ad, 151Bd, 152Ad are parallel to the moving direction of the slave decoupling member 176, such that the speed of the change in length of the third, fourth, seventh and eighth decoupling portion cables 151Ad, 151Bd, 152Ad due to the slave decoupling member movement during decoupling is in direct proportion to the speed of the slave decoupling member 176 movement, so that the speed of the change in length of any one of the first to fourth drive cables 151A to 152B during decoupling is in direct proportion to the speed of the slave decoupling member 176 movement during decoupling, and thus the speed of the slave decoupling member 176 movement is in direct proportion to the rotational linear speed of the master decoupling member 1761 and the third drive unit 173. Therefore, in the decoupling process, the length change speed of any one of the first driving cables 151A to the fourth driving cables 152B in the driving device 170 is also in a proportional relationship with the rotational linear speeds of the main decoupling member 1761 and the third driving unit 173, so that the length change amounts of the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables on the end effector 150 are precisely controlled by the main decoupling member 173 and the third driving unit 173, and precise and controllable decoupling is realized.

As shown in fig. 8D, which illustrates the decoupling process of the present embodiment, the main decoupling member 1761 rotates counter-clockwise by L/2 arc length relative to the state shown in fig. 9A, the slave decoupling member 176 moves correspondingly in the a direction by L/2 distance, and the lengths of the first decoupling portion cable 151Ac, the third decoupling portion cable 151Ad, the second decoupling portion cable 151Bc, and the fourth decoupling portion cable 151Bd simultaneously decrease by L/2, such that the first drive cable 151A and the second drive cable 151B simultaneously decrease by L in length within the drive device 170, i.e., the first pair of cables decrease by 2L in length within the drive device. Likewise, the lengths of the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth decoupling portion cables 152Ac, 152Ad, 152Bc are increased by L/2 simultaneously, such that the third and fourth drive cables 152A, 152B are increased by L simultaneously within the drive 170, i.e., the length of the second pair of cables is increased by 2L within the drive.

Returning again to fig. 7A, if the radius of the second pulley block is R1 in this embodiment, the radius of the groove bottom of the annular groove 319 on the pitch wheel 319 of the second bracket 220 for receiving and guiding the fifth drive cable 153A and the sixth drive cable 153B is R1, and when the end effector 150 is in pitch motion, the fifth drive cable 153A or the sixth drive cable 153B can form a wrap angle in the annular groove. When the end effector 150 is rotated from the null position shown in fig. 5D to the position shown in fig. 7A, if the end effector 150 is pitched by an angle α, the wrap length of the fifth drive cable 153A in the annular groove 319A on the pitch wheel 319 is increased by L1, the wrap length of the sixth drive cable 153B in the annular groove 319A on the pitch wheel 319 is simultaneously reduced by L1, where l1=αxr1, since the pitch motion of the end effector 150 is driven by the third drive unit 173 within the drive device 170, as shown in fig. 8D, when the third drive unit 173 is rotated by an angle β counterclockwise (first direction) for pitching the end effector 150 by an angle α, the third drive unit 173 releases the fifth drive cable 153A and simultaneously pulls the sixth drive cable 153B such that the length of the fifth drive cable 153A wound around the third drive unit 173 is reduced by L1, and the length of the sixth drive cable 153B wound around the third drive unit 173 is increased by L1=βr2, where L1=r2. As the main decoupling member 1761 and the third drive unit 173 rotate coaxially, the main decoupling member 1761 releases the first decoupling cable 1767 and simultaneously pulls the second decoupling cable 1768 accordingly, such that the length of the first decoupling cable 1767 wound around the main decoupling member 1761 is reduced by L/2, i.e., the length of the first decoupling cable 1767 wound around the main decoupling member 1761 is increased by L/2, wherein L/2=β×r2, such that the carriage 1762 moves in the a direction by L/2 distance, such that the length of both the first and second drive cables 151A, 151B within the drive 170 is reduced by L, respectively, and the length of both the third and fourth drive cables 152A, 152B within the drive 170 is increased by L, respectively, as previously noted, l=α×r1. In summary, the following relationship can be obtained by the four formulas l1=α×r1, l1=βr2, L/2=βr2, and l=α×r1:

The above relation shows that the ratio of the radius of the third drive unit 173 to the radius of the main decoupling 1761 is 2 times the ratio of the groove bottom radius of the annular groove 319A of the pitch wheel 319 to the radius of the second pulley block, which 2 times is caused by the fact that the secondary decoupling has 2 guides, namely the first guide 1763 and the second guide 1764. In other embodiments, the number of guides of the secondary decoupling member 176 may be other, so that the relationship between the ratio of the radius of the third drive unit to the radius of the primary decoupling member and the ratio of the radius of the pitch wheel to the radius of the second pulley block also changes, for example, the secondary decoupling member may have N guides, the ratio of the radius of the third drive unit to the radius of the primary decoupling member being N times the ratio of the groove bottom radius of the annular groove of the pitch wheel to the radius of the second pulley block, namely: However, the number of guide portions of the secondary decoupling member increases correspondingly, and the volume of the secondary decoupling member also increases correspondingly, and it is preferable to use 2 guide portions for the secondary decoupling member in the above embodiment. It will be appreciated that the radius of the drive unit and the radius of the primary decoupling means the radius of the drive cable or the portion of the decoupling cable wound around it, such as the radius of a capstan, and the radius of a pulley means the radius of the groove bottom of a pulley, and the wrap angle length of the drive cable around the pulley can be calculated to the power, although the radius of the pulley is interpreted differently in different documents (e.g. the radius of the groove bottom, the radius of the groove bottom), the radius of the pulley in the invention is a parameter that measures the wrap angle length of the drive cable around the pulley.

The amount of change in length of the first and second pairs of cables on the side of the end effector 150 required for pitch movement of the end effector 150 is thus all provided accurately by the decoupling mechanism 176 causing the first and second pairs of cables to change in length within the drive 170 such that movement of the third pair of cables is no longer limited by the first and second pairs of cables, enabling accurate decoupling between the third pair of cables and the first and second pairs of cables. The lengths of the first part cable 151Aa, the second part cable 151Ba, the third part cable 152Aa and the fourth part cable 153Ba can be maintained constant throughout the decoupling process, the tension of the entire first and second pairs of cables is maintained constant throughout the decoupling process, and the first and second driving units 171 and 172 are completely independent from the third driving unit 173 due to the movement of only the shaft 173A of the third driving unit 173 throughout the decoupling process. In addition, since the main decoupling member 1761 is rotated coaxially with the third driving unit 173, which is the coupling source that causes the coupling relationship, so that the main decoupling member 1761 and the third driving unit 173 are moved at the same angular velocity, both are physically and completely synchronized, the main operation is not required to provide the decoupling mechanism for controlling the decoupling mechanism, the motion of the decoupling mechanism is synchronized with the motion of the coupling source, the decoupling mechanism synchronizes the third driving unit for decoupling, no delay is generated, and the length variation of the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables on the side of the end effector 150 caused by the third driving unit 173 of the coupling source can be completely and precisely mapped to the length variation of the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables on the decoupling mechanism 176, so that the decoupling mechanism 176 can completely and precisely decouple the coupling relationship between the third pair of cables and the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables, the precise decoupling mechanism refers to how much the third driving unit rotates, and how much the distance will be moved from the decoupling member, and the above-mentioned half-diameter ratios are given. In addition, because the secondary decoupling member 176 is always driven to move to the corresponding position by the primary decoupling member 1761, rather than being driven by the first pair of cables or the second pair of cables, the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables are substantially unstressed on the secondary decoupling member throughout the decoupling process, so that the tension of the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables during the decoupling process is substantially unchanged, increasing the service life of the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables and the accuracy of control over the end effector 150.

Fig. 9A and 9B illustrate a drive device 270 of another embodiment of the present invention, the drive device 270B including a first drive unit 271, a second drive unit 272, a third drive unit 273, a third drive unit 274, and a decoupling mechanism 276, the first drive unit 271 pulling or releasing either the first drive cable 151A or the second drive cable 151B to rotate the first clamp 230 about the third pin 313 as the first drive unit 271 rotates with its shaft 271A, the second drive unit 272 pulling or releasing either the second drive cable 152A or the third drive cable 152B to rotate the second clamp 240 about the third pin 313 as an actuator within the instrument mount 132 drives the second drive unit 272 about its shaft 272A, the first clamp 230 and the second clamp 240 moving about the third pin 313 such that the end effector 150 performs an opening and/or a yaw motion. When the actuator within the instrument mount 132 drives the third drive unit 273 to rotate with its shaft 273A, the third drive unit 173 pulls or releases either the fifth drive cable 153A or the sixth drive cable 153B to rotate the second bracket 220 about the second pin axis AA' to effect the end effector 150 to perform a pitching motion.

The decoupling mechanism 276 includes a master decoupling member 2761 and a slave decoupling member, the master decoupling member 2761 being a gear coaxially rotated with the third driving unit 273, the slave decoupling member including a rack 2762 and first and second guide portions 2763 and 2764 connected to both ends of the rack 2762, the first and second driving cables 151A and 151B passing through the first guide portions 2763 of the slave decoupling member and then entering the long shaft 160, and the second and second driving cables 152A and 152B passing through the second guide portions 2764 of the slave decoupling member and then entering the long shaft 160.

As shown in fig. 9B, when the third driving unit 273 and the main decoupler 273 are rotated counterclockwise along with the shaft 273A, the third driving unit 273 withdraws the sixth driving cable 153B while releasing the fifth driving cable 153A, and at the same time, if the arc length through which the main decoupler 2761 is rotated counterclockwise is L/2, the length of the movement in the a direction from the decoupler driven by the main decoupler 2761 is L/2, the length of the first driving cable 151A and the second driving cable 151B between the first guide 2763 and the first guide pulley 277A, and the length of the third driving cable 152A and the fourth driving cable 152B between the second guide 2764 and the second guide pulley 277B are simultaneously reduced by L/2, and the length of the third driving cable 152A and the fourth driving cable 152B between the second guide 2764 and the fourth guide pulley 277D are simultaneously increased by L/2, so that the length of the first driving cable 151A and the second driving cable 151B in the third driving device is reduced by L/270 a and the entire length of the fourth driving cable 151B in the driving device. The decoupling mechanism 276 within the drive 270 thus provides an amount of change in the length of the first 151A through fourth 152B drive cables on one side of the end effector 150 that is required for pitch movement of the end effector 150, thereby decoupling the third pair of cables from the first and second pairs of cables, the movement of the third pair of cables being no longer limited by the first and/or second pairs of cables.

Fig. 10A and 10B show a driving device 370 according to another embodiment of the present invention, wherein the driving device 270B includes a first driving unit 371, a second driving unit 372, a third driving unit 373, a fourth driving unit 374, and a decoupling mechanism 376, and other components are substantially the same as those of the two embodiments except that the structure of the decoupling mechanism 376 is different from the two embodiments, and the description thereof is omitted. The decoupling mechanism 376 includes a main decoupling member 3761 coaxially rotating with the third driving unit 373, and a decoupling cam 3762 fixedly connected or integrally formed with the main decoupling member 3761, wherein two ends of the decoupling cam 3762 are respectively connected to the first guiding portion 3763 and the second guiding portion 3764.

As shown in fig. 10B, when the main decoupling member 3761 rotates counterclockwise with the shaft 373A, the third driving unit 373 withdraws the sixth driving cable 153B and simultaneously releases the fifth driving cable 153A, and the end effector 150 performs a pitching motion as shown in fig. 7A-7C, at the same time, the decoupling cam 3762 also rotates counterclockwise with the shaft 373A under the driving of the main decoupling member 3761, so that the length of the first driving cable 151A and the second driving cable 151B between the first guide wheel 377A and the third guide wheel 377C is reduced by L, while the length of the third driving cable 152A and the fourth driving cable 152B between the second guide wheel 377B and the fourth guide wheel 377D is increased by L, and thus the decoupling mechanism 376 in the driving device 370 can provide a length variation of the first driving cable 151A to the fourth driving cable 152B on the end effector 150 side due to the pitching motion, thereby releasing the third pair of cables, and the third pair of cables, or the third pair of cables, which are not limited by the first pair of cables.

Fig. 11A-11E illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a driving device 570 according to the present invention, wherein the driving device 570 includes a body 578, and a first driving unit 571, a second driving unit 572, a third driving unit 573, and a fourth driving unit 774 disposed on the body 778, wherein proximal ends of the first driving cable 151A and the second driving cable 151B are wound around the first driving unit 571 in an opposite manner, proximal ends of the third driving cable 152A and the fourth driving cable 152B are wound around the second driving unit 572 in an opposite manner, and proximal ends of the fifth driving cable 153A and the sixth driving cable 153B are wound around the third driving unit 573 in an opposite manner.

To better illustrate the relationship between the master 5761 and the slave 5762, fig. 11B does not show the third driving unit, and as shown in fig. 11B, the driving device 570 further includes a mount 577 and a decoupling mechanism provided on the mount 577, the decoupling mechanism including the master 5761 and the slave 5762, the master 5761 and the third driving unit 5762 being provided on the same rotation shaft 573A, the master 5761 being a cam rotating at the same angular speed as the third driving unit 5762, the slave 5762 including a carriage 5765 and first and second guide portions 5763 and 5764 mounted on the carriage 5765, and the driving device 570 further including first, second, third and fourth guide wheels 576A, 576B, 576C and 576D provided on the mount 577, similarly to the previous embodiment. The rotation axis of the first guide wheel 576A is parallel to the rotation axis of the first guide portion 5763, and the rotation axis of the fourth guide wheel 576D is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the first guide wheel 576A and the rotation axis of the first guide portion 5763. The rotation axis of the second guide wheel 576B is parallel to the rotation axis of the second guide portion 5764, and the rotation axis of the third guide wheel 576C is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the second guide wheel 576B and the rotation axis of the second guide portion 5764. The first and second drive cables 151A, 151B are redirected by the first guide wheel 576A and then guided by the third guide 576C from the first guide portion 5763 of the decoupler 5762 and then exit the drive 570 into the long shaft 160, the third and fourth drive cables 152A, 152B are redirected by the first guide wheel 576A and then guided by the third guide 576C from the decoupler 5762 and then exit the drive 570 into the long shaft 160, and the fifth and sixth drive cables 153A, 153B are redirected by the fifth guide wheel 576E into the long shaft 160.

As shown in fig. 11C, the mounting base 577 includes a first boss 5771 and a second boss 5772, and the mounting base 577 is mounted to the main body 578 by the first boss 5771, and the first guide wheel 576A, the second guide wheel 576B, the third guide wheel 576C, the fourth guide wheel 576D, and the fifth guide wheel 576E are mounted to the second boss 5772. The slave decoupler 5762 includes a carriage 5765, and a first guide 5763 and a second decoupler 5764 mounted on the carriage 5765, the first guide 5763 for connecting the first and second drive cables 151A, 151B to the slave decoupler 5762, and the second guide 5764 for connecting the third and fourth drive cables 152A, 152B to the slave decoupler 5762. The carriage 5765 includes a first opening 5766 for receiving the main decoupler 5761 and a second opening 5767 for receiving a second boss 5771 of the mount 577, the sidewall of the second boss 5771 cooperating with the sidewall of the second opening 5767 to limit movement of the carriage 5765 in the vertical sliding direction.

Returning again to fig. 11B, the carriage 5765 extends into the first opening 5766 with a first projection 5768 and a second projection 5769, the primary decoupling member 5761 abuts the first projection 5768 and the second projection 5769 in the first opening 5766, and the first projection 5768 and the second projection 5769 can move on the outer contour of the primary decoupling member 5761 when the primary decoupling member 5761 rotates, so that the carriage 5765 slides on the mounting base 577. As shown in fig. 11D, the main decoupler 5761 comprises a first cam 5761A and a second cam 5761B fixed on a rotation shaft 573A, each of the first cam 5761A and the second cam 5761B is a half-heart cam, the second cam 5761B and the first cam 4761 have the same outer contour on the plane of the vertical shaft 573A, the outer contour of the first cam 5761A on the plane of the vertical shaft 573A comprises a heart involute S1 and a first arc S2 and a second arc S3 at both ends of the involute S1, the first arc S2 is different from the radius of the second arc S3, the distance from the involute S1 to the axis of the rotation shaft 473A has a gradually increasing direction from the first arc S2, and the involute S1 has a curve in which the change amount P of the distance from the involute S1 to the axis of the rotation shaft 473A is in a linear relationship with the angle θ1 of rotation of the first cam 5761A, p=k1+k1 and K1 and K2, wherein the distance from the involute S1 to the rotation shaft 573 is a constant, and the contact point of the first involute 571 to the rotation shaft 573 is also changed with the first arc 5768. The first cam 5761A and the second cam 5761B together form a heart-shaped cam-type main decoupling member 5761, the first cam 5761A and the second cam 5761B are staggered up and down in the axial direction of the cams, the first cam 5761A moves in cooperation with the first projection 5768 of the carriage 5761, and the second cam 5761B moves in cooperation with the second projection 5768 of the carriage 5761, so that the main decoupling member 5761 drives the slave decoupling member 5762 to move so as to decouple the first pair of cables from the second pair of cables from the third pair of cables.

As shown in fig. 11E, in the decoupling process of the driving device 570, in the process that the third driving unit 473 (not shown in fig. 11E) is rotated counterclockwise (the first direction) from the zero position of fig. 11B to the limit position of fig. 11E by the actuator, the third driving unit 473 pulls the sixth driving cable 153B and simultaneously releases the fifth driving cable 153A, at which time the end effector 150 performs the pitching motion as shown in fig. 7A and 7B. Since the main decoupler 4761 and the third driving unit 473 are disposed on the same rotation shaft 473A, the main decoupler 4761 also moves counterclockwise, the first cam 4761a of the main decoupler 4761 rotates counterclockwise such that the first boss 5768 moves on the involute S1 of the first cam 4761a in a direction in which the distance to the rotation shaft 473A increases on the involute S1, whereas the second cam 4761B of the main decoupler 4761 rotates counterclockwise such that the first boss 5768 moves on the involute S1 of the second cam 4761B in a direction in which the distance to the rotation shaft 473A decreases, and the inner wall of the second opening 5767 of the carriage 5765 cooperates with the mount 577 to restrict the movement of the carriage 5765 in the direction perpendicular to the a direction, so that the carriage 5765 is driven by the main decoupler 4761 to move linearly in the a direction.

The carriage 5765 also has a first guide 5763 for connecting a first pair of cables and a second guide 5764 for connecting a second pair of cables, such that the length change of the carriage 5765 in the drive means for the first and second pairs of cables caused by the movement is linear, and similarly to the embodiment shown in fig. 8B and 8C, the direction of movement of the carriage 5765 is parallel to the portion of the first pair of cables between the first guide wheel 576A and the first guide 5763 and the direction of movement of the carriage 5765 is parallel to the portion of the second pair of cables between the second guide wheel 576B and the second guide 5764. The partial cable of the first and second drive cables 151A, 151B between the first guide 5763 and the fourth guide 576D is at the same angle to the straight line in the a direction, and likewise, the partial cable of the third and fourth drive cables 152A, 152B between the second guide 5764 and the third guide 576C is at the same angle to the straight line in the a direction, and if the carriage 5765 is moved by the main decoupler 5761 by a distance of L/2 in the a direction in the position of fig. 11E, the length of the first and second drive cables 151A, 151B between the first guide 576A and the first guide 5763 is reduced by the aforementioned L/2, and the length of the first and second drive cables 151A, 151B between the first guide 5763 and the fourth guide 576D is also reduced by the aforementioned L/2, whereby the length of the first pair of cables in the drive 570 is reduced by the aforementioned L/2L. The length of the third and fourth drive cables 152A, 152B between the second guide wheel 576B and the second guide 5764 is increased by L/2 and the length between the second guide 5764 and the third guide wheel 576C is also increased by L/2, so that the length of the third and fourth drive cables 152A, 152B within the drive 570 is increased by L, i.e. the length of the second pair of cables within the drive 570 is increased by 2L. The decoupling mechanism within the drive 570 thus provides the amount of change in the length of the first drive cable 151A, the second drive cable 151B, the third drive cable 152A, and the fourth drive cable 152B on one side of the end effector 150 that is required for the pitch motion of the end effector 150, thereby decoupling the third pair of cables from the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables, and the movement of the third pair of cables is no longer limited by the first drive cable and the second drive cable, such that the end effector 150 can successfully perform pitch operations.

If the main decoupler 5761 continues to rotate such that the carriage 5765 moves to the limit position, at which time the first protrusion 5798 moves away from the involute S1 of the first cam 5761A into the second arc S3, and the second protrusion 5769 moves away from the involute S1' of the second cam 5761B into the first arc S2', the distance from the contact point of the first protrusion 5798 with the first cam 5761A to the rotation axis 573A does not change when the first protrusion 5798 moves on the first arc S1 and the second arc S2' of the first cam 5761A, and likewise, the distance from the contact point of the first protrusion 5798 with the first cam 5761A to the rotation axis 573A does not change when the second protrusion 5798 moves on the first arc S1' and the second arc S2' of the second cam 5761B, so that the carriage 5765 does not move in the a direction, and the carriage 5765 is at the limit position in the a direction, so that the main decoupler 5761 continues to rotate to the limit position due to the presence of the main decoupler 5761. In contrast, when the main decoupler 5761 rotates clockwise, the movement of the first cam 5761A, the second cam 5761B, and the carriage is opposite to the counterclockwise movement of the main decoupler 5761, and will not be described again.

The above examples illustrate only a few embodiments of the invention, which are described in detail and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. It should be noted that it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that several variations and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, which are all within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of protection of the present invention is to be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A surgical instrument, comprising an end effector, a drive device and a cable, wherein the drive device is configured to drive the end effector to move through the cable, the cable comprising a first pair of cables and a second pair of cables for driving the end effector to perform a yaw motion, and a third pair of cables for driving the end effector to perform a pitch motion, wherein the drive device comprises:

a driving unit, to which the proximal ends of the third pair of cables are connected, and the driving unit manipulates the pitch motion of the end effector through the third pair of cables;

A decoupling mechanism, the decoupling mechanism comprising a main decoupling member and a slave decoupling member, the main decoupling member being coaxially arranged with the driving unit, the slave decoupling member comprising a slide for abutting against the main decoupling member, the slave decoupling member further comprising a first guide portion and a second guide portion arranged at two ends of the slide for guiding the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables respectively, the main decoupling member being used to coaxially rotate with the driving unit and push the slide to move so as to increase the length of one pair of cables among the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables in the driving device and reduce the length of the other pair of cables among the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables in the driving device, so that the driving unit drives the end effector to perform a pitching motion;

The slide is formed with a first opening for accommodating the main decoupling member, and the main decoupling member is used to abut against the slide in the first opening and drive the slide to move in a straight line;

The driving device also includes a first guide wheel and a second guide wheel, the first pair of cables are guided by the first guide wheel and then by the first guide part and then extend to the end effector, the second pair of cables are guided by the second guide wheel and then by the second guide part and extend to the end effector, the movement direction of the slide is parallel to the portion of the first pair of cables between the first guide wheel and the first guide part, and the movement direction of the slide is parallel to the portion of the second pair of cables between the second guide wheel and the second guide part.

2. The surgical instrument as described in claim 1 is characterized in that the drive unit and the main decoupling component rotate in a first direction to increase the length of the first pair of cables on the end actuator and reduce the length of the second pair of cables on the end actuator, and the slide moves under the push of the main decoupling component to reduce the length of the first pair of cables in the drive device and increase the length of the second pair of cables in the drive device.

3. The surgical instrument as described in claim 2 is characterized in that the drive unit and the main decoupling member rotate in a second direction opposite to the first direction to reduce the length of the first pair of cables on the end effector and increase the length of the second pair of cables on the end effector, and the slide moves under the push of the main decoupling member to increase the length of the first pair of cables in the drive device and reduce the length of the second pair of cables in the drive device.

4. The surgical instrument as described in claim 3 is characterized in that the drive unit and the main decoupling component rotate along the first direction or the second direction so that the change in the length of the first pair of cables on the end actuator is equal to four times the moving distance of the main decoupling component in the drive device.

5. The surgical instrument as described in claim 1 is characterized in that the slide has a first protrusion and a second protrusion, and the main decoupling component includes a first cam and a second cam that are staggered with each other in the axial direction of the main decoupling component, and the main decoupling component rotates so that the first cam abuts against the first protrusion and the second cam abuts against the second protrusion, thereby pushing the slide to move.

6. The surgical instrument as described in claim 5 is characterized in that the outer contour of the projection of the first cam and/or the second cam on the plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of the main decoupling component has an involute, and when the main decoupling component rotates, there is a linear change relationship between the change in the distance from the involute to the rotation axis of the main decoupling component and the angle through which the main decoupling component rotates around the rotation axis.

7. The surgical instrument as described in claim 6 is characterized in that the outer contour also includes a first arc and a second arc located at both ends of the involute, and the distance from the involute to the rotation axis of the main decoupling component gradually increases from the end where the involute is connected to the first arc to the end where the involute is connected to the second arc.

8. The surgical instrument as described in claim 1 is characterized in that the driving device further includes a third guide wheel, and the portion of the first pair of cables between the first guide portion and the end effector extends to the end effector after being guided by the third guide wheel.

9. The surgical instrument as described in claim 8, characterized in that the driving device further includes a fourth guide wheel, and the portion of the second pair of cables between the second guide portion and the end effector extends to the end effector after being guided by the fourth guide wheel.

10. The surgical instrument as described in claim 9, characterized in that the driving device also includes a mounting seat, the mounting seat includes a first boss and a second boss located on the first boss, and the second boss is used to mount the first guide wheel, the second guide wheel, the third guide wheel and the fourth guide wheel.

11 . The surgical instrument according to claim 10 , wherein the slide bracket further comprises a second opening, and the second opening is used to accommodate the second boss.

12. A slave operating device, characterized in that the slave operating device comprises a robotic arm and a surgical instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 11, the surgical instrument is mounted on the robotic arm, and the robotic arm is used to manipulate the movement of the surgical instrument.

13. A surgical robot, characterized in that the surgical robot comprises a main operating console and a slave operating device as described in claim 12, and the slave operating device performs corresponding operations according to instructions of the main operating console.