CN114939888B - Flexible mechanical arm and processing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a flexible robotic arm and a processing method thereof, wherein the flexible robotic arm is used to assist human surgery, and comprises a rigid support frame and a flexible driving mechanism. The rigid support frame comprises a plurality of bone joints that are interlocked and connected, the flexible driving mechanism is coaxial with the rigid support frame and is arranged inside the rigid support frame, and the flexible driving mechanism comprises a plurality of driving cavities evenly distributed around the central axis thereof, a driving rope is arranged inside the driving cavity, and the two ends of the driving rope respectively pass through the two ends of the driving cavity. The load of the robotic arm is ensured by the rigid structure of the rigid support frame, and the flexible driving mechanism drives the bone joints of the rigid support frame with multiple degrees of freedom through the driving rope, so that the robotic arm as a whole remains flexible to reduce or even avoid damage to the patient caused by collision during surgery.

Description

A flexible mechanical arm and processing method thereof

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of robot technology, and in particular to a flexible mechanical arm and a processing method thereof.

Background technique

Robot-assisted surgery is a milestone in the development of clinical medicine, and one of its greatest significances is that it directly expands surgical capabilities. Since the surgical robot acts directly on the human body, the robotic arm of the surgical robot is different from the traditional robotic arm. It requires high biosafety and flexibility to ensure that it will not harm human tissue.

At present, mainstream surgical robots still rely on the traditional robotic arm model, which mainly demonstrates compliance through precise control systems. Therefore, their control systems are extremely complex and large, making them difficult to promote on a large scale. Therefore, people have come up with the idea of designing a robotic arm that uses structure to achieve compliance to replace the traditional robotic arm that relies on control to demonstrate compliance, so as to simplify the complexity of the control system and reduce costs for large-scale promotion.

Summary of the invention

The purpose of the present invention is to solve the technical problem in the prior art that a surgical robot can only accurately exhibit compliance through a complex and large control system.

In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a flexible robotic arm for assisting human surgery, including a rigid support frame, which includes a number of bone joints that are interlocked and connected to each other; a flexible driving mechanism, which is filled in the rigid support frame, and the flexible driving mechanism includes a plurality of driving cavities evenly distributed around the axis thereof, a driving rope is arranged in the driving cavity, and two ends of the driving rope respectively pass through the two ends of the driving cavity.

Optionally, the bone joints include an initial bone joint, several middle bone joints and an end bone joint, the initial bone joint and the end bone joint are respectively located at two ends of the rigid support skeleton, and the several middle bone joints are located between the initial bone joint and the end bone joint.

Optionally, the middle bone joint comprises a cylindrical middle joint body and two first protrusions and a second protrusion respectively arranged at two ends of the middle joint body;

Among them, the first protrusion is a circular protrusion formed by horizontally extending outward from one end of the middle section joint body, and the two first protrusions are arranged opposite to each other; the second protrusion is a circular protrusion with a circular groove in the middle formed by horizontally extending outward from the other end of the middle section joint body, and the two second protrusions are arranged opposite to each other, and the line connecting the axes of the two first protrusions is perpendicular to the line connecting the axes of the two second protrusions, and the circular grooves of the first protrusion and the second protrusion cooperate to realize the snap-fit connection of multiple middle bone joints.

Optionally, the outer wall and inner wall of the first protrusion are two incomplete concentric circles, the outer wall diameter of the first protrusion is larger than the inner wall diameter of the first protrusion, and the angle between the first inclined surface formed by the outer wall of the first protrusion and the inner wall of the first protrusion and the axis line connecting the two first protrusions is 20 degrees.

Optionally, the outer circle and the inner circle of the circular groove are two incomplete concentric circles, the outer circle diameter of the circular groove is larger than the inner circle diameter of the circular groove, and the angle between the second inclined surface formed by the outer circle of the circular groove and the inner circle of the circular groove and the line connecting the axes of the two second protrusions is 22 degrees.

Optionally, the initial bone joint includes a cylindrical initial bone joint body and a third protrusion with a circular groove in the middle zone formed by horizontally extending outward from one end of the initial bone joint body, the structure and size of the third protrusion are the same as those of the second protrusion, and the circular grooves of the first protrusion and the third protrusion cooperate to achieve a snap-fit connection between the initial bone joint and the middle bone joint.

Optionally, the end bone joint includes a cylindrical end joint body and a fourth protrusion extending horizontally outward from one end of the end joint body, the structure and size of the fourth protrusion are the same as those of the first protrusion, and the circular grooves of the fourth protrusion and the second protrusion cooperate to achieve a snap-fit connection between the end bone joint and the middle bone joint.

Optionally, the flexible driving mechanism is provided with a tool channel along the direction of its central axis, and the plurality of driving cavities are evenly distributed around the tool channel.

Optionally, the rigid support frame is a stainless steel frame, and the flexible driving mechanism is cast by silicone material.

The present application also provides a processing method for a flexible robotic arm, wherein the flexible robotic arm is obtained based on the processing method, and the processing method comprises the following steps:

S1. Use laser to cut a rigid support frame on a stainless steel pipe;

S2, inserting soft plugs into the bone joints at both ends of the rigid support frame respectively, wherein the soft plugs are provided with through holes corresponding to the positions of the driving cavity and the tool channel on the flexible driving mechanism;

S3, inserting a plurality of thin rods through the through holes on the soft plug at one end of the rigid support frame, and then passing through the corresponding through holes on the soft plug at the other end of the rigid support frame, wherein the diameters of the plurality of thin rods are respectively consistent with the inner diameters of the driving cavity and the tool channel;

S4, placing the rigid support frame in step S3 into a mold with the same diameter as the rigid support frame, and pouring silicone liquid into the mold;

S5, after the silica gel solidifies, the rigid support frame is taken out from the mold and the soft plug and the thin rod are pulled out to obtain the flexible driving mechanism located in the rigid support frame;

S6, passing a plurality of driving ropes through the driving cavity of the flexible driving mechanism to obtain the flexible mechanical arm. It can be seen from the above technical solution that the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

The present invention provides a flexible robotic arm and a processing method thereof, wherein the flexible robotic arm is used to assist human surgery, and comprises a rigid support frame and a flexible driving mechanism. The rigid support frame comprises a plurality of bone joints that are interlocked and connected, the flexible driving mechanism is coaxial with the rigid support frame and is arranged inside the rigid support frame, and the flexible driving mechanism comprises a plurality of driving cavities evenly distributed around the central axis thereof, a driving rope is arranged inside the driving cavity, and the two ends of the driving rope respectively pass through the two ends of the driving cavity. The load of the robotic arm is ensured by the rigid structure of the rigid support frame, and the flexible driving mechanism drives the bone joints of the rigid support frame with multiple degrees of freedom through the driving rope, so that the robotic arm as a whole remains flexible to reduce or even avoid damage to the patient caused by collision during surgery.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible robotic arm provided in the present application.

FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the rigid support skeleton in the flexible robotic arm provided in the present application.

FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the mid-bone joint in the flexible robotic arm provided in the present application.

FIG. 4 is a front view and a cross-sectional view of the mid-bone joint of the flexible robotic arm provided in the present application.

FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the primary bone joint in the flexible robotic arm provided in the present application.

FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the bone end joint in the flexible robotic arm provided in the present application.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible drive mechanism in the flexible robotic arm provided in the present application.

FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a processing method for a flexible robotic arm provided in the present application.

The following are the descriptions of the reference numerals:

10. Rigid support skeleton; 11. Initial bone joint; 111. Initial joint body; 112. Third protrusion; 12. Middle bone joint; 121. Middle joint body; 122. First protrusion; 122a. Outer wall; 122b. Inner wall; 1221. First slope; 123. Second protrusion; 1231. Circular groove; 1231a. Outer ring; 1231b. Inner ring; 1232. Second slope; 13. End bone joint; 131. End joint body; 132. Fourth protrusion; 20. Flexible drive mechanism; 21. Drive cavity; 22. Tool channel; 23. Surface protrusion; A. Laser; B. Stainless steel pipe; C. Thin rod; D. Soft plug; E. Mold; F. Silicone liquid.

Detailed ways

Typical embodiments that embody the features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail in the following description. It should be understood that the present invention can have various changes in different embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention, and the descriptions and illustrations therein are essentially used for illustration purposes rather than for limiting the present invention.

In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

In order to further illustrate the principle and structure of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention are now described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present application provides a flexible robotic arm for assisting human surgery, particularly for natural cavity surgery of the human body. Please refer to FIG1 , which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible robotic arm provided by the present application, and the flexible robotic arm includes a rigid support frame 10 and a flexible drive mechanism 20 , and the flexible drive mechanism 20 is arranged inside the rigid support frame 10 .

Please refer to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of the rigid support frame in the flexible robotic arm provided by the present application. The rigid support frame 10 includes a plurality of interlocking bone joints, which are formed by laser cutting bone joints from a tubular stainless steel material.

Specifically, the bone joints include an initial bone joint 11, several middle bone joints 12 and an end bone joint 13. The initial bone joints 11 and the end bone joints 13 are respectively located at two ends of the rigid support skeleton 10, and the middle bone joints 12 are located between the initial bone joints 11 and the end bone joints 13.

Please refer to Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of the mid-bone joint in the flexible robotic arm provided in the present application, and Figure 4 is a front view and a cross-sectional view of the mid-bone joint of the flexible robotic arm provided in the present application.

The middle section of the bone joint includes a cylindrical middle section joint body 121 and two first protrusions 122 and a second protrusion 123 respectively arranged at both ends of the middle section joint body 121. Among them, the first protrusion 122 is a circular protrusion formed by horizontally extending outward from one end of the middle section joint body 121, and the two first protrusions 122 are arranged opposite to each other; the outer wall 122a and the inner wall 122b of the first protrusion 122 are two incomplete concentric circles, and the diameter of the outer wall 122a of the first protrusion 122 is greater than the diameter of the inner wall 122b of the first protrusion 122, so a first inclined surface 1221 is formed between the outer wall 122a and the inner wall 122b of the first protrusion 122, and the first inclined surface 1221 forms an angle of 20 degrees with the axis connecting the two first protrusions 122; the second protrusion 123 is a circular protrusion horizontally extending outward from the other end of the middle section joint body 121. A circular protrusion with a circular groove 1231 in the middle is formed by stretching, and the two second protrusions 123 are arranged opposite to each other, and the axis connecting the two first protrusions 122 is perpendicular to the axis connecting the two second protrusions 123. The outer circle 1231a and the inner circle 1231b of the circular groove 1231 of the second protrusion 123 are two incomplete concentric circles. The diameter of the outer circle 1231a of the circular groove 1231 is larger than the diameter of the inner circle of the circular groove 1231. Therefore, a second inclined surface 1232 is formed between the outer circle 1231a and the inner circle 1231b of the circular groove 1231, and the angle formed by the second inclined surface 1232 and the axis connecting the two second protrusions 123 is degrees. Each mid-bone joint 12 is connected to two adjacent mid-bone joints 12 by means of two first protrusions 122 that respectively engage with the circular grooves 1231 in the two second protrusions 123. By arranging inclined surfaces that form a certain angle with their respective central axes on the circular grooves 1231 of the first protrusion 122 and the second protrusion 123, the angle difference ensures that the first protrusion 122 can rotate freely in the circular groove 1231 of the second protrusion 123, thereby achieving a joint-like function and effect. The arrangement of multiple mid-bone joints 12 can enable the robotic arm to have multiple movable joints, and the inclined surfaces can also ensure that the joints will not fall out during movement.

Please refer to Figure 5, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the primary bone joint in the flexible mechanical arm provided by the present application. The primary bone joint 11 includes a cylindrical primary joint body 111 and a third protrusion 112 with a circular groove 1231 in the middle formed by horizontally extending outward from one end of the primary joint body 111. The primary joint body 111 is coaxially arranged with the middle joint body 121, and the primary joint body 111 is longer than the middle joint body 121. The structure and size of the third protrusion 112 are the same as those of the second protrusion 123. The circular groove 1231 of the third protrusion 112 has the same inclined surface as the circular groove 1231 of the second protrusion 123. Therefore, the circular groove 1231 of the first protrusion 122 and the third protrusion 112 can cooperate to realize the snap-fit connection between the primary bone joint 11 and the middle bone joint 12.

Please refer to Figure 6, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the bone end joint in the flexible robotic arm provided by the present application. The bone end joint 13 includes a cylindrical end joint body 131 and a fourth protrusion 132 extending horizontally outward from one end of the end joint body 131, the end joint body 131 is coaxially arranged with the middle joint body 121, and the end joint body 131 is longer than the middle joint body 121, the structure and size of the fourth protrusion 132 are the same as those of the first protrusion 122, and the fourth protrusion 132 has the same inclined surface as the first protrusion 122, so the fourth protrusion 132 and the circular groove 1231 of the second protrusion 123 cooperate to realize the snap-fit connection between the bone end joint 13 and the bone middle joint 12.

Since the rigid support frame 10 is made of stainless steel and is designed to be connected in sequence through the initial bone joint 11, several middle bone joints 12 and the terminal bone joint 13, the rigid support frame 10 has a structure that can ensure the load while having multi-degree-of-freedom movable joints that can be driven.

Please refer to Figure 7, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible driving mechanism in the flexible robotic arm provided in the present application. The flexible driving mechanism 20 is made of silicone material, which is filled inside the rigid support frame 10, and includes a plurality of driving cavities 21 evenly distributed around the central axis, and a driving rope (not shown in the figure) is arranged in the driving cavity 21, and the two ends of the driving rope pass through the two ends of the driving cavity 21 respectively. The surface of the flexible driving mechanism 20 has a plurality of surface protrusions 23 that match the gaps between adjacent bone joints. The flexible driving mechanism 20 is driven by the driving rope, so that the flexible driving mechanism 20 drives the bone joints of the rigid support frame 10 to rotate according to the required degree of freedom.

Furthermore, the flexible drive mechanism 20 is provided with a tool channel 22 along its central axis, the tool channel 22 is used to place a micro camera or other surgical devices, and a plurality of drive cavities 21 are evenly distributed around the tool channel 22. Specifically, in this embodiment, three drive cavities 21 are provided, so that the drive rope is driven at different positions around the flexible drive mechanism 20, thereby realizing drive control in all directions.

The rigid support frame 10 is driven by a flexible driving mechanism 20 made of silicone material in cooperation with a driving rope. The silicone material, with its softness, can not only cooperate with the driving rope to achieve a flexible driving direction, but also use its elasticity to achieve effective resetting constraints on the rigid support frame 10, thereby increasing the overall strength of the robotic arm.

The present application also provides a method for processing a flexible robotic arm, and the flexible robotic arm is obtained based on the processing method. Please refer to Figure 8, which is a schematic diagram of the processing method for the flexible robotic arm provided by the present application. The processing method includes the following steps:

S1, using laser A to cut a rigid support frame 10 on a stainless steel pipe B;

The use of laser A cutting processing allows the snap-fit connections between adjacent bone joints of the rigid support frame 10 to be processed and formed in one step.

S2. Soft plugs D are respectively inserted into the bone joints at both ends of the rigid support skeleton 10, and the soft plugs D are provided with through holes corresponding to the positions of the driving cavity 21 and the tool channel 22 on the flexible driving mechanism 20; specifically, the soft plugs D are respectively inserted into the initial bone joint 11 and the terminal bone joint 13.

S3. Insert a plurality of thin rods C through the through hole on the soft plug D at one end of the rigid support skeleton 10, and then pass out through the corresponding through hole on the soft plug D at the other end of the rigid support skeleton 10, and the plurality of thin rods C are respectively consistent with the inner diameters of the driving cavity 21 and the tool channel 22; that is, the diameter of the thin rod C passing through the through hole on the soft plug D corresponding to the driving cavity 21 is consistent with the inner diameter of the driving cavity 21, and the diameter of the thin rod C passing through the through hole on the soft plug D corresponding to the tool channel 22 is consistent with the inner diameter of the tool channel 22.

S4, placing the rigid support frame 10 in step S3 into a mold E with the same diameter as the rigid support frame 10, and pouring the silicone liquid F into the mold E;

S5. After the silicone gel solidifies, take out the rigid support skeleton 10 from the mold E and pull out the soft plug D and the thin rod C to obtain the flexible driving mechanism 20 located inside the rigid support skeleton 10; the thin rod C is used to form the driving cavity 21 and the tool channel 22 during the silicone casting process, and during the casting of the silicone liquid F, a plurality of surface protrusions 23 that cooperate with the gaps between adjacent bone joints are formed on the surface of the flexible driving mechanism 20, and the surface protrusions 23 can limit the rigid support skeleton 10.

S6. Pass a plurality of driving ropes through the driving cavity 21 of the flexible driving mechanism 20 to obtain the flexible robotic arm.

The present invention provides a flexible robotic arm and a processing method thereof, wherein the flexible robotic arm is used to assist human surgery, and comprises a rigid support frame 10 and a flexible driving mechanism 20. The rigid support frame 10 comprises a plurality of bone joints that are interlocked and connected, the flexible driving mechanism 20 is coaxial with the rigid support frame 10 and is arranged inside the rigid support frame 10, and the flexible driving mechanism 20 comprises a plurality of driving cavities 21 evenly distributed on the circumference of the central axis, a driving rope is arranged in the driving cavity 21, and the two ends of the driving rope pass through the two ends of the driving cavity 21 respectively. The rigid structure of the rigid support frame 10 ensures the load for the robotic arm, and cooperates with the flexible structure of the flexible driving mechanism 20, so that the robotic arm as a whole remains flexible to reduce or even avoid damage to the patient caused by collision during surgery; at the same time, the rigid support frame 10 made of stainless steel can ensure the load while reducing the size of the overall robotic arm to adapt to a smaller natural cavity of the human body, and the stainless steel frame can simplify the control model, which is simpler and has higher control accuracy than the fully flexible robotic arm model. In addition, the flexible robotic arm can also perform minimally invasive surgeries, not limited to natural cavity surgeries, by carrying different surgical instruments.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to several typical embodiments, it should be understood that the terms used are illustrative and exemplary, rather than restrictive. Since the present invention can be embodied in a variety of forms without departing from the spirit or essence of the invention, it should be understood that the above embodiments are not limited to any of the foregoing details, but should be interpreted broadly within the spirit and scope defined by the appended claims, so all changes and modifications falling within the scope of the claims or their equivalents should be covered by the appended claims.

Claims (9)

1. A flexible robotic arm for assisting a human procedure, comprising:

the rigid support framework comprises a plurality of bone joints which are mutually buckled and connected;

The flexible driving mechanism is filled in the rigid supporting framework and comprises a plurality of driving cavities uniformly distributed on the periphery of the central axis of the flexible driving mechanism, driving ropes are arranged in the driving cavities, and two ends of each driving rope penetrate out of two ends of each driving cavity respectively;

The machining method of the mechanical arm comprises the following steps:

S1, cutting a rigid support framework on a stainless steel pipe by using laser;

S2, respectively plugging soft plugs into bone joints at two ends of the rigid support framework, wherein through holes corresponding to positions of a driving cavity and a tool channel on the flexible driving mechanism are formed in the soft plugs;

S3, penetrating a plurality of thin rods through holes in the soft plugs at one end of the rigid support framework, and penetrating out through corresponding through holes in the soft plugs at the other end of the rigid support framework, wherein the diameters of the thin rods are respectively consistent with the inner diameters of the driving cavity and the tool channel;

s4, placing the rigid support framework in the step S3 into a mold with the same diameter as the rigid support framework, and pouring silica gel liquid into the mold;

S5, taking out the rigid support framework from the die after the silica gel is solidified, and extracting the soft plug and the thin rod to obtain the flexible driving mechanism positioned in the rigid support framework, wherein a plurality of surface protrusions matched with gaps between adjacent bone joints are formed on the surface of the flexible driving mechanism in the casting process of the silica gel solution F, and the surface protrusions can limit the rigid support framework;

And S6, enabling a plurality of driving ropes to pass through the driving cavity of the flexible driving mechanism to obtain the flexible mechanical arm.

2. The flexible mechanical arm of claim 1, wherein the bone joint comprises a bone primary joint, a plurality of bone middle joints, and a bone end joint, the bone primary joint and the bone end joint being located at two ends of the rigid support frame, respectively, and the plurality of bone middle joints being located between the bone primary joint and the bone end joint.

3. The flexible mechanical arm according to claim 2, wherein the bone mid-section joint comprises a cylindrical mid-section joint body and two first protrusions and second protrusions respectively provided at both ends of the mid-section joint body;

The first bulges are round bulges formed by horizontally extending outwards from one end of the middle section joint main body, and the two first bulges are oppositely arranged; the second bulges are round bulges with round grooves in the middle, the middle is formed by outwards horizontally extending the other ends of the middle section joint main bodies, the two second bulges are oppositely arranged, connecting lines of the axes of the two first bulges are mutually perpendicular to connecting lines of the axes of the two second bulges, and the first bulges and the round grooves of the second bulges are matched to realize buckling connection of a plurality of bone middle section joints.

4. A flexible mechanical arm according to claim 3, wherein the outer wall and the inner wall of the first protrusion are two incomplete concentric circles, the diameter of the outer wall of the first protrusion is larger than the diameter of the inner wall of the first protrusion, and an included angle between a first inclined plane formed by the outer wall of the first protrusion and the inner wall of the first protrusion and an axis connecting line of the two first protrusions is 20 degrees.

5. The flexible mechanical arm according to claim 4, wherein the outer ring and the inner ring of the circular groove are two incomplete concentric circles, the diameter of the outer ring of the circular groove is larger than the diameter of the inner ring of the circular groove, and an included angle between a second inclined plane formed by the outer ring of the circular groove and the inner ring of the circular groove and a connecting line of the axes of the two second protrusions is 22 degrees.

6. The flexible mechanical arm according to claim 5, wherein the bone primary joint comprises a cylindrical primary joint body and a third protrusion with the circular groove in the middle, wherein the third protrusion extends horizontally outwards from one end of the primary joint body, and has the same structure and size as the second protrusion, and the circular grooves of the first protrusion and the third protrusion cooperate to realize the snap connection of the bone primary joint and the bone middle joint.

7. The flexible mechanical arm of claim 6, wherein the bone end joint comprises a cylindrical end joint body and a fourth protrusion extending horizontally outward from one end of the end joint body, the fourth protrusion having a structure and size identical to the structure of the first protrusion, the fourth protrusion and the circular recess of the second protrusion cooperating to achieve a snap-fit connection of the bone end joint to the bone mid-joint.

8. The flexible mechanical arm according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the flexible driving mechanism is provided with a tool passage in a direction of a central axis thereof, and a plurality of the driving cavities are uniformly distributed on a peripheral side of the tool passage.

9. The flexible mechanical arm according to claim 8, wherein the rigid support framework is a stainless steel framework, and the flexible driving mechanism is obtained by casting a silica gel material.