CN112043391B

CN112043391B - Surgical instruments, operating equipment and surgical robots

Info

Publication number: CN112043391B
Application number: CN202011063666.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 吴仲兵; 周芳坚; 赵李; 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: 2025-06-17
Anticipated expiration: 2040-09-30
Also published as: CN112043391A

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 comprises an end effector, a driving device and cables, the cables comprising a first driving cable, a first pair of cables and a second pair of cables; the driving device is used to drive the end effector to perform a pitch motion through the first pair of cables and the first driving cables, and to drive the end effector to perform a yaw motion through the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables. The end effector of the present invention is driven in two directions of pitch motion using different driving principles, that is, the pitch motion in a first direction is driven by a special pitch driving cable, while the pitch motion in another direction is driven by a driving cable that drives the end effector to yaw.

Description

Surgical instrument, slave operating device, and surgical robot

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of medical devices, and more particularly, to a driving device for a surgical device, a surgical device using the driving device, a slave operating device using the surgical device, and a surgical robot having the slave operating 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, opening and closing, pitching and yawing, some of which also have autorotation, with yaw and opening of the end effectors being controlled by one set of drive cables and pitch of the end effectors being controlled by another set of drive cables in the prior art.

In-vivo surgery often requires a number of complex scenarios, one of which is that the end effector requires more force to pitch in one direction and does not require more force to pitch in the opposite direction, e.g., in surgery, the end effector requires the surgical instrument to pick up a portion of the body tissue or to hold down a portion of the body tissue, and the end effector of the surgical instrument requires more force to pick up or hold down the body tissue when it is pitched in the direction to pick up or hold down the body tissue, whereas releasing the body tissue picked up or held down by the end effector does not require more force.

The force of pitching the end effector in two directions is the same, which either makes the end effector pitch in one direction unable to provide the required large force, or makes the end effector pitch in both directions have a larger force, because outputting a larger pitch force requires a larger drive cable or a thicker cable, thus causing unnecessary space waste.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve the above problems, 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, the surgical instrument including:

The end effector comprises a first bracket, a second bracket, a first clamping part and a second clamping part, wherein the second bracket is rotationally connected to the first bracket, and the first clamping part and the second clamping part are rotationally connected to the second bracket;

The driving cable comprises a first driving cable, a first pair of cables and a second pair of cables, wherein the distal ends of the first pair of cables are arranged on the first clamping part, the distal ends of the second pair of cables are arranged on the second clamping part, one end of the first driving cable is connected to the second bracket, a first pulley block and a second pulley block for guiding the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables are arranged on the first bracket, the second pulley block is arranged between the first pulley block and the first clamping part or the second clamping part, the part of the first driving cable between the second bracket and the first bracket is positioned on the same side of the first pulley block as the part of the first pair of cables between the first pulley block and the first bracket, and the part of the first driving cable between the first pulley block and the second bracket is positioned on the opposite side of the first pulley block;

And the driving device is used for driving the second bracket to rotate relative to the first bracket through the first pair of cables and the first driving cable so as to enable the end effector to perform pitching motion, and driving the end effector to perform yawing motion through the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables.

Preferably, the winding manner of the first pair of cables on the first pulley block and the second pulley block is opposite to the winding manner of the second pair of cables on the first pulley block and the second pulley block.

Preferably, the portion of the first pair of cables from the first clamping part to the second pulley block and the portion of the second pair of cables from the second clamping part to the second pulley block are respectively located at two sides of the axis of rotation of the second bracket relative to the first bracket.

Preferably, the first pair of cables includes a second drive cable and a third drive cable, a distal end of the second drive cable and a distal end of the third drive cable are disposed on the first clamping portion, and a winding manner of the second drive cable on the first set of pulleys and the second set of pulleys is the same as a winding manner of the third drive cable on the first set of pulleys and the second set of pulleys.

Preferably, the second pair of cables includes a fourth drive cable and a fifth drive cable, the distal end of the fourth drive cable and the distal end of the fifth drive cable are disposed on the second clamping portion, and the third drive cable is wound on the first set of pulleys and the second set of pulleys in the same manner as the second drive cable is wound on the first set of pulleys and the second set of pulleys.

Preferably, the first pulley block includes a first pulley, a second pulley, a third pulley and a fourth pulley sequentially disposed on the same pin, the second pulley block includes a fifth pulley, a sixth pulley, a seventh pulley and an eighth pulley sequentially disposed on the same pin, a distal end of the second driving cable is guided by a rear portion of the second pulley and then guided by a front portion of the sixth pulley and finally mounted on the first clamping portion, and a distal end of the third driving cable is guided by a rear portion of the third pulley and then guided by a front portion of the seventh pulley and then mounted on the first clamping portion.

Preferably, the distal end of the fourth driving cable is guided by the front portion of the first pulley and then guided by the rear portion of the fifth pulley, and then mounted on the second clamping portion, and the distal end of the fifth driving cable is guided by the front portion of the fourth pulley and then guided by the rear portion of the eighth pulley, and then mounted on the second clamping portion.

Preferably, the first bracket has a first through hole for passing the first driving cable, a second through hole for passing the second driving cable, and a third through hole for passing the second driving cable, where the first through hole, the second through hole, and the third through hole are located on the same side of the first plane, and the first plane passes through the axis of the first pulley block and the axis of the second pulley block.

Preferably, the first bracket has a fourth through hole for passing a fourth driving cable and a fifth through hole for passing a fifth driving cable, and the fourth through hole and the fifth through hole are located on the same side of the first plane and on different sides of the first plane, or the second through hole, or the third through hole.

Preferably, the straight line passing through the center of the second through hole and the center of the third through hole is parallel to the straight line passing through the center of the fourth through hole and the center of the fifth through hole.

Preferably, the second through hole, the third through hole, the fourth through hole and the fifth through hole form a trapezoid.

Preferably, the first through hole, the second through hole, the third through hole and the fourth through hole form a parallelogram.

Preferably, the driving device comprises a driving unit, wherein one end of a first driving cable is connected to the driving unit, and the driving unit drives the end effector to perform pitching motion through the first driving cable and a first 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 main decoupling piece is used for coaxially rotating with the driving unit and driving the secondary decoupling piece 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 drives the end effector to perform pitching motion.

Preferably, the primary decoupler is configured to drive the secondary decoupler in a linear motion to vary the length of the first and second pairs of cables within the drive.

Preferably, the secondary decoupling member comprises a carriage, a first guide part and a second guide part respectively arranged at two ends of the carriage, the first pair of cables are guided by the first guide part and then extend to the end effector, the second pair of cables are guided by the second guide part and then extend to the end effector, and the primary decoupling member changes the lengths of the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables in the driving device along the linear motion by driving the carriage.

Preferably, the secondary decoupling member further includes a first decoupling cable and a second decoupling cable connected to both ends of the carriage, the primary decoupling member is connected to the carriage by the first decoupling cable and the second decoupling cable, and the primary decoupling member is configured to drive the carriage to move by manipulating the first decoupling cable and the second decoupling cable.

Preferably, the main decoupling member is connected to the carriage by means of a gear engagement.

Preferably, the main decoupling member has a cam structure, and the main decoupling member is configured to rotate to drive the cam structure to abut against the carriage to drive the carriage to move.

Preferably, the driving device further comprises a first guiding wheel and a second guiding wheel, wherein the first pair of cables are guided by the first guiding wheel and then guided by the first guiding part and then extend to the end effector, and the second pair of cables are guided by the second guiding wheel and then guided by the second guiding part and then extend to the end effector.

Preferably, the direction of movement of the carriage is parallel to the portion of the first pair of cables between the first guide portion and the first guide wheel.

Preferably, the direction of movement of the carriage is parallel to the portion of the second pair of cables between the second guide portion and the second guide wheel.

Preferably, the driving device further comprises a third guide wheel and a fourth guide wheel, the first pair of cables are guided by the first guide part and then guided by the third guide part to extend to the end effector, and the second pair of cables are guided by the second guide part and then guided by the fourth guide wheel to extend to the end effector.

Preferably, the axis of the third guide wheel is parallel to the axis of the fourth guide wheel and perpendicular to the axis of the first guide wheel or the axis of the second guide wheel.

Preferably, the direction of movement of the carriage is parallel to the portion of the first pair of cables between the first guide and the third guide wheel, and the direction of movement of the carriage is parallel to the portion of the second pair of cables between the second guide and the fourth guide wheel.

Preferably, the drive unit rotates with the main decoupling member in a first direction to increase the length of the first pair of cables on the end effector and decrease the length of the second pair of cables on the end effector, and the secondary decoupling member moves under the drive of the main decoupling member to decrease the length of the first pair of cables in the drive assembly and increase the length of the second pair of cables in the drive assembly.

Preferably, the drive unit is configured to 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 secondary decoupler is configured to move under the drive of the primary decoupler to increase the length of the first pair of cables in the drive means and decrease the length of the second pair of cables in the drive means.

Preferably, the drive unit and the primary decoupler rotate such that the length of the second drive cable or the fourth drive cable on the end effector varies by an amount equal to twice the distance the secondary decoupler moves within the drive.

Preferably, the main decoupling member rotates in a first direction to release the first decoupling cable and retract the second decoupling cable such that the carriage moves to reduce the length of the first pair of cables within the drive and increase the length of the second pair of cables within the drive.

Preferably, the main decoupling member rotates in a second direction opposite the first direction to retract the first decoupling cable and release the second decoupling cable such that the carriage moves to increase the length of the first pair of cables within the drive and decrease the length of the second pair of cables within the drive.

Preferably, the primary decoupling is configured to rotate such that the length of the second drive cable or the fourth drive cable on the end effector varies by an amount equal to twice the distance the carriage moves within the drive.

Preferably, the proximal end of the second bracket has an annular groove in which the distal end of the first drive cable is received and a wrap angle is formed therein.

Preferably, the radii of the pulleys of the second set of pulleys are all R1, the radius of the main decoupling member is R2, the radius of the driving unit is R2, and the bottom groove radius R1 of the annular groove, the radius R1 of the second set of pulleys, the radius R2 of the main decoupling member and the radius R2 of the driving unit satisfy the following relationship:

wherein N is the number of the guide parts and is even.

Preferably, the number N of the guide portions is 2.

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 operating the surgical instrument to move.

A surgical robot includes a master operation console and a slave operation device that performs a corresponding operation according to an instruction of the master operation console.

The end effector of the surgical instrument is driven by using different driving principles in the two directions of pitching motion, namely, pitching motion in the first direction is driven by a special pitching driving cable, pitching motion in the other direction is driven by a driving cable for driving the end effector to yaw, and the special driving cable can provide larger force, so that the application scene of providing larger force when the end effector is pitching in one direction can be satisfied, and the driving cable for driving the end effector to yaw drives pitching motion in the other direction, thereby saving the driving cable, saving the space and enabling the end effector to be manufactured smaller.

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-5H are schematic illustrations of the structure of an end effector according to one embodiment of the present invention;

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

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

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

FIGS. 7A-7C are pitch views of a drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8A is an enlarged schematic view of the first guide and first guide wheel portion of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7A;

FIG. 8B is an enlarged schematic view of the first guide and third guide wheel portion of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7A;

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

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of a driving device according to an embodiment of the invention.

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. 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, where the end effector 150 includes a first support 210 and a second support 310, the distal end of the first support 210 has a first support column 211 and a second support column 212, the proximal end of the first support 210 has a first chassis 213, one end of the chassis 213 is connected to the long shaft 160, the other end of the first chassis 213 extends toward the distal end of the end effector 150 to form the first support column 211 and the second support column 212, and the first support column 211, the second support column 212, and the first chassis 213 form a substantially U-shaped clip structure.

A first pin 214 and a second pin 215 are provided between the first support column 211 and the second support column 212, one end of the first pin 214 is fixedly connected to the first support column 211, the other end thereof is fixedly connected to the second support column 212, and likewise, one end of the second pin 215 is fixedly connected to the first support column 314, the other end thereof is fixedly connected to the second support column 212, and the first pin 214 and the second pin 215 are disposed on the first support column 211 and the second support column 212 side by side, wherein the first pin 214 is closer to the bottom frame 213 of the first support 210 than the second pin 215.

The first pin 214 is provided with a first set of pulley blocks, the second pin 215 is provided with a second set of pulley blocks, the first set of pulley blocks comprises a first pulley 221, a second pulley 222, a third pulley 223 and a fourth pulley 224 which are sequentially arranged on the first pin 214, the second set of pulley blocks comprises a fifth pulley 225, a sixth pulley 226, a seventh pulley 227 and an eighth pulley 228 which are sequentially arranged on the second pin 215, the first pulley 211 to the eighth pulley 218 are all used for guiding a driving cable, and since the pulleys used for guiding the driving cable are all arranged on the first bracket 210 and the second bracket 310 is not provided with pulleys, the volume of the second bracket 310 can be made smaller, the volume of the end effector 150 is smaller, and the risk of pulley falling does not exist.

The second bracket 310 is provided with a third strut 311, a fourth strut 312 and a pitch wheel 314, the third strut 311 and the fourth strut 312 are formed to extend from the pitch wheel 314 along the distal end of the end effector 150, the third strut 311, the fourth strut 312 and the pitch wheel 314 are formed in a substantially U-shaped frame shape, the pitch wheel 314 of the second bracket 310 is mounted on the first bracket 210 by a second pin 312, and the second bracket 310 is rotatable about an AA' passing through the axis of the second pin 215 to effect a pitch movement of the end effector 150.

A third pin 313 is arranged between the third support 311 and the fourth support 312 of the second support 310, the third pin 313 is perpendicular to the second pin 215, one end of the third pin 313 is fixedly connected to the third support 311, and the other end is fixedly connected to the fourth support 312. The end effector 150 further comprises a clamping portion 410, the second pulley set being located between the first pulley set and the clamping portion 410, the clamping portion 410 comprising a first clamping portion 411 and a second clamping portion 412, the first clamping portion 411 and the second clamping portion 412 being rotatably arranged on the second bracket 310 by means of a third pin 313, the first clamping portion 411 and the second clamping portion 412 being rotatable about an axis BB' passing through the third pin 313 for enabling an opening and/or a yaw movement of the end effector 150, the first clamping portion 411 and the second clamping portion 412 being jaws for clamping tissue, or a stapler for suturing, or a cautery for electro-cautery or the like.

The directional references in fig. 5A are for convenience in describing the manner in which the drive cable is routed over the end effector 150, where distal and proximal 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, although other references to directions are not provided, the end effector 150 direction can be easily deduced from fig. 5A. The drive cables provided to the end effector 150 include a first drive cable, a first pair of cables, and a second pair of cables, wherein the first pair of cables includes a second drive cable 152A and a third drive cable 152B, the second drive cable 152A and the third drive cable 152B cooperate to effect rotation of the steering second grip 412 about the third pin 313, the first drive cable 151 and the second drive cable 152A, the third drive cable 152B cooperate to effect pitch movement of the steering end effector 150, the second pair of cables includes a fourth drive cable 153A and a fifth drive cable 153B, the fourth drive cable 153A and the fifth drive cable 153B cooperate to effect rotation of the steering first grip 411 about the third pin 313, and the second drive cable 152A, the third drive cable 152B, the fourth drive cable 153A, and the fifth drive cable 153B cooperate to effect opening and closing movement and yaw movement of the end effector 150.

The distal end of the first driving cable 151 has a first mounting end 151A, and the second bracket 310 has a first mounting cavity for receiving the first mounting end 151A therein, the first mounting end 151A being received in the first mounting cavity to enable the first driving cable 151 to be coupled with the second chassis 310. The distal ends of the first and second pairs of cables have second and third mounting ends 152C and 153C, respectively, and the first and second clamping portions 411 and 412 have second and third mounting cavities 411A and 412A, respectively, with the second and third mounting cavities 411A and 412A being adapted to receive the third and second mounting ends 153C and 152C, respectively, to effect connection of the first and second pairs of cables to the second and first clamping portions 412 and 411, respectively.

In order to achieve the pitch motion of the first drive cable 151 and the second drive cable 152A, the third drive cable 152B cooperate together to achieve the steering of the end effector 150, on the side of the end effector 150, the first pair of cables are wound on the second pulley set of the first pulley set in a manner opposite to the second pair of cables are wound on the first pulley set and the second pulley set in a manner similar to the third drive cable 152B is wound on the first pulley set and the second pulley set, and the fourth drive cable 153A is wound on the first pulley set and the second pulley set in a manner similar to the fifth drive cable 153B is wound on the first pulley set and the second pulley set. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5C, the proximal end of the second drive cable 152A is coupled to a drive unit within the drive device 170, the distal end of the second drive cable 152A continues toward the distal end of the end effector 150 after being directed by the rear of the second pulley 222 and continues along the distal end of the end effector 150 after being directed by the front of the sixth pulley 226 and finally mounted within the third mounting cavity 412A on the second clamp 412 via the second mounting end 152C, and the third drive cable 152B continues toward the distal end of the end effector 150 after being directed by the rear of the third pulley 223 and continues toward the distal end of the end effector 150 after being directed by the front of the seventh pulley 227 and finally mounted within the third mounting cavity 412A on the second clamp 412 via the second mounting end 152C.

The distal end of the fourth drive cable 153A continues toward the distal end of the end effector 150 after being guided by the front of the first pulley 221 and continues toward the distal end of the end effector 150 after being guided by the rear of the fifth pulley 225 and finally mounted within the second mounting cavity 411A of the first grip 411 by the third mounting end 153C, and the distal end of the fifth drive cable 153B continues toward the distal end of the end effector 150 after being guided by the front of the fourth pulley 224 and continues toward the distal end of the end effector 150 after being guided by the rear of the eighth pulley 218 and finally mounted within the second mounting cavity 411A on the first grip 411 by the third mounting end 153C.

The second drive cable 152A and the third drive cable 152B cooperate to manipulate the second grip portion 412 to rotate about the axis BB 'of the third pin 313, and the fourth drive cable 153A and the fifth drive cable 153B cooperate to manipulate the first grip portion 411 to rotate about the axis BB' of the third pin 313, such that the second drive cable 152A, the third drive cable 152B, the fourth drive cable 153A, and the fifth drive cable 153B cooperate to manipulate the first grip portion 411 and the second grip portion 412 to effect an opening and/or a yaw movement of the end effector 150.

In addition, first drive cable 151A and second drive cable 152A, third drive cable 152B cooperate to manipulate clamp 410 and second mount 310 to rotate about axis AA 'of second pin 215 to effect pitch motion of end effector 150, and as axis AA' of second pin 215 is perpendicular to third pin 313, yaw motion of end effector 150 is also perpendicular to pitch motion.

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5C-5D, when the drive mechanism 170 simultaneously retracts the second drive cable 152A and the third drive cable 152B and simultaneously releases the first drive cable 151, the fourth drive cable 153A, and the fifth drive cable 153B, the grip 410 and the second bracket 310 rotate counterclockwise about the axis AA 'of the second pin 215, the end effector 150 performs the pitching motion shown in FIG. 5D, and when the drive mechanism 170 retracts the first drive cable 151A and/or simultaneously retracts the fourth drive cable 153A and the fifth drive cable 153B, the grip 410 and the second bracket 310 rotate clockwise about the axis AA' of the second pin 215, the end effector 150 performs the pitching motion shown in FIG. 5E.

When the drive mechanism 170 retracts the third and fifth drive cables 152B and 153B and simultaneously releases the second and fourth drive cables 152A and 153A, the grip 410 rotates clockwise about the axis BB' of the third pin 313 and the end effector 150 performs the yaw motion shown in fig. 5F. When the driving device 170 pulls the third and fourth driving cables 152B and 153A and simultaneously releases the second and fifth driving cables 152A and 153B, the first grip 411 rotates counterclockwise about the axis BB 'of the third pin 313, the second grip 412 rotates clockwise about the axis BB' of the third pin 313, and the end effector 150 performs the movement of opening the grip 410 shown in fig. 5G. The pitch, yaw, and open and close movements of end effector 150 may also be performed simultaneously, as shown

The first drive cable 151, first pair of cables, and second pair of cables cooperate to operate the end effector 150 to simultaneously perform pitch, yaw, and yaw movements. It will be appreciated that when the direction of movement of the drive cable is opposite to the above, the pitch, yaw and opening directions of the end effector 150 are opposite to the above, and will not be described again.

In contrast to prior art end effectors, the end effector 150 of the surgical instrument of the present invention is maneuvered clockwise along the axis AA 'of the second pin by the first drive cable 151, while the end effector is maneuvered counterclockwise along the axis AA' of the second pin by both the second drive cable 152A and the third drive cable 153A. Because the drive mechanism 170 applies a greater torque to the second bracket 310 when the first drive cable 151 is retracted than the drive mechanism 170 applies to the second bracket 310 when the second drive cable 152A and the third drive cable 152B are retracted, the end effector 150 is more powerful when pitched clockwise about axis AA 'than when pitched counterclockwise about axis AA', primarily to accommodate the end effector 150 in a scenario where greater force is required to pitch in one direction, but not in the opposite direction, such as in surgery where a surgical instrument is required to lift a portion of the body tissue, or in one direction where the end effector of the surgical instrument is required to lift or hold down a portion of the body tissue, where greater force is required to lift or hold down the body tissue, whereas releasing the body tissue lifted or held down by the end effector does not require greater force.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the end effector 150 of the surgical instrument is maneuvered by the first and fourth drive cables 151, 153A and the fifth drive cable 153B together when rotated clockwise along the axis AA 'of the second pin, where the end effector 150 is maneuvered with greater force clockwise along the axis AA' of the second pin than when the end effector 150 is maneuvered by the first drive cable 151 alone, such that the end effector accommodates a scenario where it provides greater force in a single direction pitch operation.

In addition, since the invention has only one first drive cable dedicated to manipulating the pitch motion of the end effector 150, there is one less drive cable dedicated to manipulating the pitch motion of the end effector than in the prior art, so that the volumes of the first bracket and the second bracket can be made smaller, thereby making the whole end effector correspondingly smaller, the structure simpler, and the assembly and assembly easier.

It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, in contrast to the two embodiments described above, a first drive cable dedicated to pitching the end effector operates the end effector to pitch counterclockwise about axis AA ', while a second and third drive cable that operate the end effector to open and close and yaw operate the end effector to pitch clockwise about axis AA'.

To effect pitch movement of the end effector using the second drive cable and the third drive cable that operate opening and closing and yaw of the end effector, as shown in fig. 5C-5G, regardless of movement of the end effector 150, the first and second pairs of cables 152A 'and 152B' between the second pulley set and the third mounting cavity 412A of the second clamp 412 and the third and fourth pairs of cables 153A 'and 153B' between the second pulley set and the second mounting cavity 411A of the clamp 411 are located on either side of a first plane M passing through the axis AA 'of the second pin 215 and perpendicular to the axis BB' of the third pin 313, respectively, wherein the portions of the first and third pairs of cables between the second pulley set and the third mounting cavity 412A and the second pulley set and 411A do not include portions of the first and third pairs of cables wrapped around the second pulley set.

As shown in fig. 5C, the portion of the first pair of cables between the second pulley block and the third mounting cavity 412A of the second clamp portion 412 includes a first portion of the cable 152A between the sixth pulley 226 and the third mounting cavity 412A and a second portion of the cable 152B between the seventh pulley 227 and the third mounting cavity 412A, and the portion of the third pair of cables between the second pulley block and the second mounting cavity 411A of the first clamp portion 411 includes a third portion of the cable 152A 'of the fourth drive cable 153A between the fifth pulley 225 and the second mounting cavity 411A and a fourth distinguishing cable 152B' of the fifth drive cable 153B between the eighth pulley 228 and the second mounting cavity 411A.

Thus, when the drive device 170 simultaneously retracts the second drive cable 152A and the third drive cable 152B of the first pair of cables and releases the first drive cable 151 and the fourth drive cable 153A and the fifth drive cable 153B of the third pair of cables, the second clamp portion 412 is urged by the moment of the first pair of cables to rotate counterclockwise about the axis AA' of the second pin 215, and the end effector 150 performs the pitching motion shown in fig. 5D. Conversely, when the drive device 170 retracts the first drive cable 151 and releases the first pair of cables, the second bracket 310 is rotated clockwise about the axis AA' of the second pin 215 by the tension of the first drive cable 151, and the pitching motion of the end effector 150 is as shown in fig. 5E. In another embodiment, the driving device 170 pulls the first driving cable 151 and simultaneously pulls the fourth driving cable 153A and the fifth driving cable 153B, and releases the first pair of cables, at this time, the second bracket 310 is pulled by the first driving cable 151, and at the same time, the first clamping part 411 is pushed by the moment of the second pair of cables, so that the end effector 150 is driven to rotate clockwise by two moments (i.e. the moment of the first driving cable 151 and the moment of the second pair of cables), and therefore, a larger force can be provided when the end effector 150 tilts clockwise, so as to adapt to more application situations.

5D-5H, regardless of how the end effector 150 is pitching, the first and second partial cables 152A ' and 152B ' are always on opposite sides of the first plane M as the third and fourth partial cables 153A ' and 153B ', the first and second partial cables 152A ' and 152B ' are always on the same side of the first plane M, and the third and fourth partial cables 153A ' and 154 are always on the other same side of the first plane M, so that, regardless of the position of the end effector 150, pulling the second and third drive cables 152A and 152B simultaneously causes the end effector 150 to move clockwise about the axis AA ' due to the moment that drives it counterclockwise about the axis AA ', and likewise, regardless of the position of the end effector 150, pulling the fourth and fifth drive cables 153A and 153B simultaneously causes the end effector 150 to move counterclockwise about the axis AA ' due to the moment that drives it counterclockwise about the axis AA '.

Similarly, the portion of the first pair of cables between the first pulley block and the first chassis 213 of the first bracket 210 and the portion of the third pair of cables between the first pulley block and the first chassis 213 are located on both sides of a second plane P passing through the axis of the first pin 214 and the axis AA 'of the second pin 215, (the second plane P passing through the rotational axis AA' of the pitching motion of the end effector 150 and being perpendicular to the end face of the distal end of the first chassis 213), respectively, the portion of the first pair of cables between the first pulley block and the first chassis 213 of the second bracket 210 and the portion of the second pair of cables between the first pulley block and the first chassis 213 do not include a portion wound over the first pulley block.

As shown in fig. 6A and 6B, the first chassis 213 is provided with through holes for passing the first driving cable, the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables, in particular, the first chassis 213 has a first through hole 213A for passing the first driving cable 151, a second through hole 213B for passing the second driving cable 152A, a third through hole 213C for passing the third driving cable 152B, a fourth through hole 213D for passing the fourth driving cable 153A and a fifth through hole 213E for passing the fifth driving cable 153B, wherein the first through hole 213A, the second through hole 213B and the third through hole 213C are located on the same side of the second plane P, the fourth through hole 213D and the fifth through hole 213E are located on the other side of the plane second P, such that a portion of the first pair of cables between the first pulley block and the first chassis 213 and a portion of the second pair of cables between the first pulley block and the first chassis 213 are located on both sides of the second plane P, respectively, and a portion of the first pulley block and the second pair of cables 151 for performing a pitch movement of the first end effector 150 and the first pair of cables 151 are located on the same side of the first plane P.

The straight line passing through the center of the second through hole 213B and the center of the third through hole 213C is parallel to the straight line passing through the center of the fourth through hole 213D and the center of the fifth through hole 213E, and as shown in fig. 6A, the connection lines of the centers of the second through hole 213B, the third through hole 213C, the fourth through hole 213D and the fifth through hole 213E form a trapezoid. This allows the drive cables to extend straight from the first chassis 213 to the first pulley arrangement parallel to each other, maximizing the efficiency of the transmission of the drive cables. In another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 6C, the connection lines of the centers of the second through hole 223B, the third through hole 223C, the fourth through hole 223D and the fifth through hole 223E on the first bracket 220 form a parallelogram. The proximal ends of the first and second pairs of cables pass through the throughbores in the first brackets 210, 220 and then into the long shaft 160 and ultimately secure into the drive device 170.

Since the proximal ends of the second and third drive cables 152A, 152B of the first pair of cables and the fourth and fifth drive cables 153A, 153B of the third pair of cables are wrapped around the drive unit within the drive device 170, the drive unit can only be moved in rotation to effect retraction or release of the first through fifth drive cables 151-153B. But the drive unit cannot simultaneously retract or simultaneously release the second drive cable 152A and the third drive cable 152A because it cannot translate, and likewise, the drive unit cannot simultaneously retract or simultaneously release the fourth drive cable 153A and the fifth drive cable 153B. Whereas in the embodiment shown in fig. 5A, clockwise rotation of the end effector 150 about the axis AA 'of the second pin 215 requires retraction of the first drive cable 151 and simultaneous release of the second drive cable 152A and the third drive cable 152B of the first pair of cables, counterclockwise rotation of the end effector 150 about the axis AA' of the second pin 215 requires simultaneous retraction of the second drive cable 152A and the third drive cable 153A of the first pair of cables and simultaneous release of the fourth drive cable 153A and the fifth drive cable 153B of the second pair of cables, in short, there is a coupling relationship between the first drive cable 151, the first pair of cables, and the second pair of cables, which is caused by the fact that both the pitch motion and the yaw motion of the end instrument are orthogonal, and therefore the prior art drive arrangements cannot effectuate a pitch motion of the end effector 150 of the present invention. The present invention also provides a driving device that can drive the end effector 150 of the present invention, and in particular, drive the end effector 150 of the present invention to perform pitching motion, and it will be understood that the driving device of the present invention can be applied not only to the end effector 150 of the present invention, but also to other end effectors having the same principle although having a different structure from the end effector 150 of the present invention.

This coupling relationship between the first drive cable 151, the first pair of cables, and the second pair of cables is described in detail below. In the process of rotating the end effector 150 from the straight zero state shown in fig. 5C to the pitch state shown in fig. 5E, if the target pitch angle through which the end effector 150 is required to rotate is α, the first and second pairs of cables are rotated from the position of the second pulley block from the position of the horizontal plane a passing through the axis of the second pin 215 to the position of the plane B of fig. 5E by the angle α required to rotate clockwise from the position of fig. 5C, if the radius of each pulley of the second pulley block is r1, in order for the end effector 150 to successfully rotate the target pitch angle α, then the angular lengths of the second and third drive cables 152A and 152B on the sixth and seventh pulleys 226 and 227, respectively, must be increased by the length L, wherein l=αxr1, and the angular lengths of the corresponding fourth and fifth drive cables 153A and 153B on the fifth and eighth pulleys 225 and 228, respectively, are decreased by the length L. Likewise, to achieve simultaneous retraction of the second and third drive cables 152A and 152B to rotate the end effector 150 counterclockwise an angle α from the zero position in fig. 5C to the position shown in fig. 5D, it is necessary to be able to simultaneously decrease the wrap angle lengths of the second and third drive cables 152A and 152B by a length L on the sixth and seventh pulleys 226 and 227, respectively, and correspondingly to simultaneously increase the length wrap angle lengths of the third and fifth drive cables 153A and 153B by a length L on the fifth and eighth pulleys 225 and 228, respectively, wherein L = α x r1.

While as shown in fig. 7A, in the drive device 170, the proximal end of the first drive cable 151 is wound around the rotatable first drive unit 171, the second drive cable 152A and the third drive cable 152B are wound around the rotatable second drive unit 172 in opposite directions, the fourth drive cable 153A and the fifth drive cable 153B are wound around the rotatable second drive unit 173 in opposite directions, and the first drive unit 171, the second drive unit 172 and the third drive unit 173 are rotatably mounted in the drive device, so that the second drive unit 172 and the third drive unit 173 can only rotate with their axes and cannot translate, and thus, by means of rotating the second drive unit 172 alone, the length of the second drive cable 152A and the length of the third drive cable 152B cannot be increased or decreased simultaneously, and likewise, rotating the third drive unit 173 cannot cause the length of the fourth drive cable 153A and the fifth drive cable 153B to be increased or decreased simultaneously, as described above, while the first drive cable 153A and the second drive cable 153B must be increased or decreased simultaneously by the length of the fourth drive cable 152A and the fifth drive cable 153B must be increased or decreased simultaneously when the first drive cable 153B is constrained from being moved simultaneously with each other.

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 drive cable 151, the first pair of cables, and the second pair of cables may be either that the first drive cable is constrained to the first pair of cables, thereby rendering the first drive cable completely incapable of effecting pitch motion, or that the first drive cable is constrained to the first pair of cables, thereby causing undesired movement of any one of the first drive cable, the first pair of cables, and the second pair of cables, thereby causing undesired movement of the end effector, thereby rendering undesired movement of the end effector incapable of effecting desired operation, e.g., that movement of the first drive cable 151, upon manipulation of the end effector, causes simultaneous movement of the first pair of cables and/or the first pair of cables, thereby causing pitch motion and/or yaw motion of the end effector while simultaneously effecting pitch motion of the end effector, causing pitch motion and/or yaw motion of the end effector, thereby rendering the end effector incapable of effecting pitch motion and yaw motion independent of each other, and/or operation of the end effector, thereby rendering the end effector incapable of effecting correct operation. It is desirable to decouple the first drive cable 151, the first pair of cables, and the second pair of cables such that movement of the first drive cable 151 is no longer limited to the first pair of cables, the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables are no longer limited to each other during pitch motion of the end effector, and movement of the drive cables can be independent of, non-interfering with, or affecting each other, and such decoupling between the first drive cable 151 and the first pair of cables, and between the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables during pitch motion of the end effector is referred to as decoupling.

For decoupling the above-mentioned coupling relation between the drive cables, taking the end effector in the embodiment shown in fig. 5A as an example, a conventional decoupling method is to use a software algorithm to perform decoupling, where the main operation console 200 controls the first drive unit to drive the first drive cable to move and controls the second drive unit and the third drive unit to drive the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables to move, so that the wrap lengths of the first cables and the first pair of cables on pulleys along with the movement of the third pair of cables increase or decrease by L, but this decoupling method needs to make the first part cable 152A 'and the second part cable 152B' of the first pair of cables on the end effector respectively located on opposite sides of the first plane M, and the third part cable 153A 'and the fourth part cable 153B' of the second pair of cables respectively located on opposite sides of the first plane M, so that the second drive cable 152A and the third drive cable 152B of the first pair of cables form a loop crossing the first plane M, and the fourth drive cable 153A and the fifth drive cable 153B of the second pair of cables form a loop crossing the first plane M, so that it is possible to implement a loop through software decoupling. However, as described above, the first portion of the cable 152A 'and the second portion of the cable 152B' 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 first plane M, and the second portion of the cable 153A 'and the third portion of the cable 153B' of the second pair are also on the same side of the first plane M, so that the existing software decoupling method is not capable of decoupling an end effector of the 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, specifically, a first driving unit for driving a first driving cable, a second driving unit for driving a first pair of cables and a third driving unit for driving a second pair of driving cables are respectively arranged in the driving device, and the control of the driving units is ideally opposite to each other, however, when the software algorithm is used for decoupling, the three driving units are required to be controlled to move together simultaneously, so that the three driving units lose independence and easy error in control occurs. And the software decoupling method cannot decouple the drive cables in the embodiment shown in fig. 5A.

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. 7A 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 housing 178 and a first driving unit 171 located in the housing 178 for driving the end effector 150 to perform a pitching motion, a second driving unit 172 and a third driving unit 173 for driving the end effector 150 to perform an opening, a yaw, and a pitching motion, and a fourth driving unit 174 for driving the long shaft 160 to perform a spinning motion. The proximal end of the first drive cable 151 is wound around the first drive unit and its distal end is mounted on the end effector 150, the second drive cable 152A and the third drive cable 152B of the first pair of cables are wound around the second drive unit 172 in opposite windings, the fourth drive cable 153A and the fifth drive cable 153B of the second pair of cables are wound around the third drive unit 173 in opposite windings, and the sixth drive cable 154A and the seventh drive cable 154B of the third pair of cables are wound around the fourth drive unit 174 in opposite windings, respectively.

When the actuator drive shaft 171A in the instrument mount 132 rotates the first drive unit 171, the first drive unit 171 pulls or releases the first drive cable 151 to rotate the second bracket 310 about the axis AA' of the second pin 215, when the actuator drive shaft 172A in the instrument mount 132 rotates the second drive unit 172, the second drive unit 172 pulls or releases the second drive cable 152A or the third drive cable 152B to rotate the second grip portion 412 about the third pin 313, and when the actuator drives the third drive unit 173 to rotate with its axis 173A, the third drive unit 173 pulls or releases the fourth drive cable 154A or the fifth drive cable 154B to rotate the first grip portion 411 about the third pin 313, the first grip portion 411 and the second grip portion 412 moving about the third pin 313 such that the end effector 150 performs an opening and/or a yaw movement. 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 device 170 further comprises a decoupling mechanism 175 for decoupling the first drive cable 151, the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables on the side of the end effector 150, the decoupling mechanism 175 comprising a master decoupling member 1751 and a slave decoupling member, the slave decoupling member comprising a carriage 1752 and first and second guides 1753 and 1754 connected at both ends of the carriage, the master decoupling member 1761 being connected to both ends of the carriage 1752 by means of first and second decoupling cables 1761 and 1762, the master decoupling member 1751 in turn driving movement of the slave decoupling member by means of the first and second decoupling cables 1761 and 1762. The first and second decoupling cables 1761, 1762 are wound around the main decoupling member 1751 in opposite fashion, the main decoupling member 1761 and the first drive unit 171 are moved at the same angular velocity, the main decoupling member 1751 is disposed on the same shaft 173A as the first drive unit 171 in this embodiment, so that the main decoupling member 1751 rotates coaxially with the first drive unit 171 along with the shaft 171A, and in other embodiments, the main decoupling member 1751 and the first drive unit 171 may be disposed on different rotational shafts, respectively. The primary decoupling member 1751 and the first drive unit 171 have different radii, the primary decoupling member 1751 has a radius R2 and the first drive unit 171 has a radius R2, where R2< R2, and the primary decoupling member 1751 effects movement from the decoupling member by pulling or releasing the first decoupling cable 1761 or the second decoupling cable 1761. The main decoupling element 1751 and the first driving unit 171 may receive driving from the same power source, i.e. the actuator in the above-mentioned slave operating device, and in other embodiments the main decoupling element and the first driving unit are disposed on different rotation shafts, but the main decoupling element still receives the driving force homologous to the first driving unit, for example, the main decoupling element and the first driving unit are connected and driven separately by different manners on the same actuator.

The following details how the decoupling mechanism 175 is decoupled, as shown in fig. 7A-7C, the second and third drive cables 152A, 152B extend through the first guide wheel 176A, the first guide 1753, and the third guide wheel 176C after being guided into the long shaft 160 and then connected to the end effector 150. The fourth driving cable 153A and the fifth driving cable 153B are extended and connected to the end effector 150 after being guided by the second guide wheel 176B, the second guide part 1754 and the fourth guide wheel 176D, and the first driving cable 151 is extended and connected to the end effector 150 after being guided by the fifth guide wheel 176E, and as to how the first driving cable 151 to the fifth driving cable 153B are connected to the end effector 150, the above detailed description is omitted herein. The secondary decoupling member of the decoupling mechanism 175 is slidable relative to the housing 178 of the drive 170, and in particular, the primary decoupling member rotates to retract the first and second decoupling cables 1761 and 1762 simultaneously, or to release the first and second decoupling cables 1761 and 1762 simultaneously, thereby pulling the secondary decoupling member within the drive 170. Since the first pair of cables is wrapped around a portion of the first guide 1753 and the second pair of cables is wrapped around a portion of the second guide 1754, the first and second guides 1753 and 1754 respectively carry the first and second pairs of cables in a varying length within the drive 170 as the secondary decoupling member is pulled to decouple the first, first and second pairs of cables 151, 1754.

In order to precisely decouple the first drive cable 151, the first pair of cables, and the second pair of cables at the decoupling mechanism 175, the secondary decoupler driven by the primary decoupler 1751 is always moved in a straight line, and the second drive cable 152A, the third drive cable 152B, the fourth drive cable 153A, and the fifth drive cable 154B resulting from the motion of the secondary decoupler are always linear in length within the drive 170. Specifically, as shown in fig. 7A-7C, the first decoupling cable 1561 extends in the direction of movement of the carriage 1752 after being redirected by the fifth guide wheel 176F and is secured to one end of the secondary decoupling member, and likewise the second decoupling cable 1762 extends in the direction of movement of the carriage 1752 after being redirected by the seventh guide wheel 176G and is secured to the other end of the secondary decoupling member such that the portion of the first decoupling cable 1761 between the fifth guide wheel 176F and the carriage 1752 is parallel to the direction of movement of the secondary decoupling member, and likewise the portion of the second decoupling cable 1762 between the seventh guide wheel 176G and the carriage 1752 is also parallel to the direction of movement of the secondary decoupling member, and therefore during decoupling, the speed of movement of the first decoupling cable 1761 and the second decoupling cable 1762 pull the secondary decoupling member in direct proportion to the rotational linear speed of the primary decoupling member 1751 and the first drive unit 171. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the portion of the first decoupling cable 1761 between the fifth guide wheel 176F and the carriage 1752 is only partially parallel to the direction of motion of the secondary decoupler, or the portion of the second decoupling cable 1762 between the seventh guide wheel 176G and the carriage 1752 is only partially parallel to the direction of motion of the secondary decoupler, and the portion that is not parallel does not change the direction of motion of the carriage, thereby still allowing the secondary decoupler to move in a straight line.

In addition, the first to fourth guide wheels 176A to 176D, the fifth guide wheel 176F, the seventh guide wheel 176G, the first guide portion 1753, and the second guide portion 1754 are each of a structure having two pulleys side by side for guiding two driving cables. As shown in fig. 8A, two side-by-side pulleys of the first guide wheel 176A, the first guide portion 1753, and the third guide wheel 1762 are used to guide the second driving cable 152A and the third driving cable 152B, respectively, the second driving cable 152A forms a fifth partial cable 152Aa between the first guide wheel 176A and the first guide portion 1753 after being guided by the first guide wheel 176A, and the third driving cable 152B forms a sixth partial cable 152Ba between the first guide wheel 176A and the first guide portion 1753, the fifth partial cable 152Aa and the sixth partial cable 152Ba not including portions wound around the pulleys, wherein both the fifth partial cable 152Aa and the sixth partial cable 152Ba are parallel to the moving direction from the decoupling member. Therefore, the length variation of the first and second partial cables 151Aa and 151Ba caused in the course of the linear movement of the slave decoupler driven by the master decoupler 1751 is always linear.

As shown in fig. 8B, the second driving cable 152A is formed with a seventh partial cable 152Ab between the first guide 1753 and the third guide wheel 176C, the third driving cable 152B is formed with an eighth partial cable 152Bb between the first guide 1753 and the third guide wheel 176C, the seventh partial cable 152Ab and the eighth partial cable 152Bb are symmetrical with respect to the center plane H1 of the third guide wheel 176C, the center plane H1 of the third guide wheel 176C refers to a plane that is located at the center of two side-by-side pulleys of the third guide wheel 176C and perpendicular to the axis C1 of the third guide wheel 176C, and likewise, the seventh partial cable 152Ab and the eighth partial cable 152Bb do not include a portion wound around the pulleys. The seventh and eighth partial cables 152Ab and 152Bb are both angled at an angle θ from the center plane H1, and the angle θ is small enough such that the lengths of the fifth and seventh partial cables 152Ab and 152Bb are nearly equal to the distance of the shortest straight line of the first and third guides 1753 and 176C on the center plane H1, such that the seventh and eighth partial cables 152Ab and 152Bb are also generally parallel to the direction of motion from the decoupler. Accordingly, the length changes of the seventh and eighth partial cables 152Ab and 152Bb caused during the linear movement of the slave decoupler driven by the master decoupler 1751 are also substantially linear.

The portions of the fourth drive cable 153A and the fifth drive cable 153B of the second pair of cables between the second guide wheel 176B, the second guide portion 1754 and the fourth guide wheel 176D also have the same arrangement as the first pair of cables described above, and will not be described again here. Therefore, in the decoupling process, the length change speed of any one of the second to fifth driving cables 152A to 153B is in a proportional relationship with the movement speed of the carriage 1752, and as described above, the movement speed of the carriage 1752 is in a proportional relationship with the rotational linear speeds of the main decoupler 1751 and the first driving unit 171, so that the length change speed of any one of the second to fifth driving cables 152A to 153B is in a proportional relationship with the rotational linear speeds of the main decoupler 1751 and the first driving unit 171, thereby enabling the decoupling process to be precisely controlled.

As shown in fig. 7B and 7C, when the first driving unit 171 rotates clockwise (first direction) as shown in fig. 7B, the first driving unit 171 pulls the first driving cable 151, and if the second bracket 220 of the end effector 150 is to be rotated clockwise about the second axis AA' as shown in fig. 5E, the entire end effector 150 performs a pitching motion in the direction as shown in fig. 5E. As described above, at this time, the wrap angle lengths of the second and third driving cables 152A and 152B on the sixth and seventh pulleys 226 and 227, respectively, need to be increased by L at the same time, and at the same time, the wrap angle lengths of the fourth and fifth driving cables 153A and 153B on the fifth and eighth pulleys 225 and 228 need to be decreased by L at the same time, so that the end effector 150 can smoothly perform the pitching motion. Since the main decoupling member 1751 of the decoupling mechanism 175 rotates coaxially with the first drive unit 171, while the first drive unit 171 rotates clockwise with the shaft 171A, the main decoupling member 1751 also rotates clockwise with the shaft 171A, at which time the main decoupling member 1751 retracts the second decoupling cable 1762 and simultaneously releases the first decoupling cable 1761, and if the arc length through which the main decoupling member 1751 rotates is L/2, the secondary decoupling member moves L/2 distance in the a direction under the pull of the second decoupling cable 1762, thereby causing the length of the portions of the second drive cable 152A and the third drive cable 153B between the first guide wheel 176A and the first guide 1753, and between the first guide 1753 and the third guide wheel 176C, respectively, to be reduced by L/2, thereby reducing the length of the second drive cable 152A and the third drive cable 152B, respectively, within the drive device 170.

Conversely, the length of the portions of the fourth and fifth drive cables 153A and 153B between the second guide wheels 176B and 1754 and between the second guide 1754 and the fourth guide wheels 176D, respectively, are increased by L/2, thus increasing the length of the fourth and fifth drive cables 153A and 153B within the drive 170 by L. The first pair of cables and the second pair of cables have a length variation of 2L within the drive device, so that rotation of the primary decoupler causes the first pair of cables or the second pair of cables to vary in length over the end effector by an amount equal to four times the distance the secondary decoupler moves within the drive device. The pitch wheel 314 of the second bracket 310 has an annular groove 314A that receives and guides the first drive cable 151, which can form a wrap angle therein as the end effector 150 is pitched. As shown in fig. 5E, when the angle of the clockwise pitch of the end effector 150 is α, if the groove bottom radius of the annular groove 314A is R1, the wrap angle length of the first driving cable 151 on the annular groove 314 of the pitch wheel 314 is reduced by L1, where l1=α×r1, since the clockwise pitch motion of the end effector 150 is driven by the first driving unit 171 in the driving device 170, as shown in fig. 7B, if the angle through which the first driving unit 171 rotates to make the clockwise pitch motion of the end effector 150 be α is β, the first driving unit 171 pulls the first driving cable 151 such that the length of the first driving cable 151 wound around the first driving unit 171 is increased by L1, where l1=β×r2. As the main decoupling member 1751 and the first drive unit 1751 rotate coaxially, the main decoupling member 1751 then accordingly releases the first decoupling cable 1761 and simultaneously retracts the second decoupling cable 1763, thereby pulling the distance of movement in the direction a from the decoupling member to L/2, and accordingly the length of the first decoupling cable 1761 around the main decoupling member 1761 is reduced by L/2, i.e., the first decoupling cable 1767 is released by L/2, and the length of the second decoupling cable 1768 around the main decoupling member 1761 is increased by L/2, wherein L/2 = β r2, L = α r1 as previously described. 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 first drive unit 173 to the radius of the main decoupler 1761 is 2 times the ratio of the groove bottom radius of the annular groove 314A of the pitch wheel 314 to the radius of the second set of pulleys, this 2-fold relationship being caused by the slave decoupler having 2 guides for guiding the first cable and the first pair of cables, namely first guide 1753 and second guide 1754. In other embodiments, the number of guides of the secondary decoupler may be other, so that the ratio of the radius of the first drive unit to the radius of the primary decoupler and the ratio of the radius of the annular groove of the pitch wheel to the radius of the second set of pulleys also varies, e.g. the secondary decoupler may have N guides for guiding the first cable and the first pair of cables, so that the ratio of the radius of the first drive unit to the radius of the primary decoupler is N times the ratio of the groove bottom radius of the annular groove of the pitch wheel to the radius of the second set of pulleys, i.e.: 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.

Whereby the decrease in length of the second and third drive cables 152A and 152B within the drive device 170 is equal to the increase in wrap angle length of the second and third drive cables 152A and 152B on the sixth and seventh pulleys 226 and 227, respectively, and the increase in length of the fourth and fifth drive cables 153A and 153B within the drive device 170 is equal to the decrease in wrap angle length of the fourth and fifth drive cables 153A and 153B on the fifth and eighth pulleys 225 and 228, respectively. Thus, the movement of the retracting first drive cable 151 is no longer limited by the first pair of cables, and the movement of the retracting first drive cable 151 does not cause the second pair of cables to slacken on the end effector 150, and the decoupling mechanism 175 effects decoupling of the second pair of cables from the first drive cable, and the end effector 150 performs a pitch motion clockwise as viewed in FIG. 5E.

As shown in fig. 7C, when the first drive unit 171 rotates counterclockwise (second direction), because the main decoupling member 1751 of the decoupling mechanism 175 rotates coaxially with the first drive unit 171 at the same angular velocity, the main decoupling member 1751 also rotates counterclockwise with the shaft 171A while the main decoupling member 1751 pulls the first decoupling cable 1761 and simultaneously releases the second decoupling cable 1762, and if the arc length through which the main decoupling member 1751 rotates is L/2, the secondary decoupling member moves L/2 distance in the B direction under the pull of the first decoupling cable 1761, thereby causing the length of the portion of the second drive cable 152A and the third drive cable 153B between the first guide wheel 176A and the first guide 1753 and the portion between the first guide 1753 and the third guide wheel 176C to increase by L/2, respectively, such that the length of the second drive cable 152A and the third drive cable 152B both increases within the drive device 170, and the length of the fourth drive cable 153B both increases between the fourth guide wheel 153A and the second guide wheel 176B and the fourth guide wheel 176B decreases by L/2, respectively, and the length of the second guide cable 153B between the fourth guide wire 153B and the fourth guide wheel 176D and the fifth guide 176B decreases, respectively. Thus reducing the length of the fourth and fifth drive cables 153A and 153B within the drive device 170 by L.

While the change in length of the second, third, fourth and fifth drive cables 152A, 152B, 153A and 153B at this time reflects the appearance on the lead end effector that the drive 170 is simultaneously retracting the second and third drive cables 152A, 152B and simultaneously releasing the fourth and fifth drive cables 153A, 153B.

Whereby the length of the second and third drive cables 152A and 152B in the drive device 170 are increased by the same amount as the amount of reduction required in the wrap angle lengths of the second and third drive cables 152A and 152B on the sixth and seventh pulleys 226 and 227, respectively, and the length of the fourth and fifth drive cables 153A and 153B in the drive device 170 are decreased by the same amount as the amount of increase required in the wrap angle lengths of the fourth and fifth drive cables 153A and 153B on the fifth and eighth pulleys 225 and 228. Thus, the simultaneous retraction of the drive means simultaneously releases the second drive cable 152A and the third drive cable 152B from the restriction of the fourth drive cable 153A and the fifth drive cable 153B, and the decoupling mechanism 175 effects decoupling of the first pair of cables from the second pair of cables, so that the end effector 150 can successfully perform the counterclockwise pitch motion shown in fig. 5D.

The driving device according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig. 9, and the driving device 270 is the same as the driving device 170 according to the previous embodiment except that the driving device 270 is provided with guide wheels for guiding the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables, that is, the driving device 270 is provided with seventh guide wheel 176H, eighth guide wheel 176I, ninth guide wheel 176J and tenth guide wheel 176K, the second driving cable 152A and the third driving cable 152B sequentially pass through the guide wheels of the first guide wheel 176A, the first guide part 1753, the third guide wheel 176C, the seventh guide wheel 176H and the ninth guide wheel 176J, are guided into the long shaft 160 and extend to the end effector 150, and the fourth driving cable 153A and the fifth driving cable 153B sequentially pass through the guide wheels of the second guide wheel 176B, the second guide part 1754, the fourth guide wheel 176D, the eighth guide wheel 176I and the tenth guide wheel 176K, are guided into the long shaft 160 and extend to the end effector 150. In comparison to the previous embodiment, the portions of the second drive cable 152A and the third drive cable 152B between the first guide 1753 and the third guide wheel 176C and the portions of the fourth drive cable 153A and the fifth drive cable 153B between the second guide 1754 and the fourth guide 176D are parallel to the direction of motion of the secondary decoupler, such that the linear variation in the lengths of the first cable and the first pair of cables within the drive 270 caused by the movement of the secondary decoupler is less error than in the previous embodiment.

As shown in fig. 10, the main decoupling member 1751 of the decoupling mechanism 275 of the driving device 370 is connected to the secondary decoupling member 1752 by way of gear engagement, specifically, the secondary decoupling member has a carriage 2752, two ends of the carriage 2752 are respectively connected to the first guide portion 2753 and the second guide portion 2754, the body of the carriage 3751 has a rack structure, the main decoupling member 2751 has a gear structure engaged with the rack structure of the carriage 3751, and when the main decoupling member 2751 rotates, the main decoupling member 2751 drives the pitching mechanism to move along a straight line, so as to change the lengths of the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables in the driving device 370, thereby realizing the release of the first driving cable 151. It will be appreciated that the master 2751 and the slave 2751 of the decoupling mechanism 275 may not only be engaged by means of a rack and pinion arrangement, but in other embodiments the master 2751 and the slave 2751 may also be engaged by means of two gears. In other embodiments, the master and slave decouplers of the slave decoupler may also be connected by way of a cam, i.e. the master decoupler includes a cam structure that abuts against the carriage of the slave decoupler and pushes the carriage of the slave decoupler in a linear motion as the master decoupler rotates.

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, characterized in that the surgical instrument comprises:

An end effector, the end effector comprising a first bracket, a second bracket, a first clamping portion and a second clamping portion, the distal end of the first bracket having a first support column and a second support column, the second bracket being rotatably connected to the first bracket, and the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion being rotatably connected to the second bracket;

A cable comprising a first driving cable, a first pair of cables and a second pair of cables, wherein the distal ends of the first pair of cables are arranged on the first clamping portion, the distal ends of the second pair of cables are arranged on the second clamping portion, one end of the first driving cable is connected to the second bracket, the first bracket is provided with a first pulley block and a second pulley block for guiding the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables, the second pulley block is located between the first pulley block and the first clamping portion or the second clamping portion, a portion of the first driving cable between the second bracket and the first bracket is located on the same side of the first pulley block as a portion of the first pair of cables between the first pulley block and the first bracket, and is located on the opposite side of the first pulley block as a portion of the second pair of cables between the first pulley block and the first bracket;

a driving device, the driving device being used to drive the second bracket to rotate relative to the first bracket through the first pair of cables and the first driving cable so that the end effector performs a pitch motion, and to drive the end effector to perform a yaw motion through the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables;

The driving device comprises:

a driving unit, one end of the first driving cable being connected to the driving unit;

A decoupling mechanism, the decoupling mechanism includes a main decoupling member and a slave decoupling member, the main decoupling member is coaxially arranged with the driving unit, the main decoupling member is used to rotate coaxially with the driving unit and drive the slave decoupling member 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 in the driving device, so that the driving unit drives the end effector to perform a pitch motion, the slave decoupling member includes a slide and a first moving wheel and a second moving wheel respectively arranged at two ends of the slide, and a first decoupling cable and a second decoupling cable connected at two ends of the slide, the main decoupling member is connected to the slide via the first decoupling cable and the second decoupling cable, and the main decoupling member is configured to drive the slide to move by manipulating the first decoupling cable and the second decoupling cable.

2. The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein the first pair of cables are wound around the first pulley set and the second pulley set in a manner opposite to the manner in which the second pair of cables are wound around the first pulley set and the second pulley set.

3. The surgical instrument as described in claim 1 is characterized in that the portion of the first pair of cables from the first clamping part to the second pulley group and the portion of the second pair of cables from the second clamping part to the second pulley group are respectively located on both sides of the axis of rotation of the second bracket relative to the first bracket.

4. The surgical instrument as described in claim 2 is characterized in that the first pair of cables includes a second drive cable and a third drive cable, the distal ends of the second drive cable and the distal ends of the third drive cable are both arranged on the first clamping portion, and the winding method of the second drive cable on the first pulley group and the second pulley group is the same as the winding method of the third drive cable on the first pulley group and the second pulley group.

5. The surgical instrument as described in claim 4 is characterized in that the second pair of cables includes a fourth drive cable and a fifth drive cable, the distal ends of the fourth drive cable and the distal ends of the fifth drive cable are both arranged on the second clamping portion, and the winding method of the fourth drive cable on the first pulley group and the second pulley group is the same as the winding method of the fifth drive cable on the first pulley group and the second pulley group.

6. The surgical instrument as described in claim 5 is characterized in that the first pulley group includes a first pulley, a second pulley, a third pulley and a fourth pulley arranged in sequence on the same pin, the second pulley group includes a fifth pulley, a sixth pulley, a seventh pulley and an eighth pulley arranged in sequence on the same pin, the distal end of the second drive cable is guided by the rear of the second pulley and then by the front of the sixth pulley and finally installed on the first clamping part, and the distal end of the third drive cable is guided by the rear of the third pulley and then by the front of the seventh pulley and then installed on the first clamping part.

7. The surgical instrument as described in claim 6 is characterized in that the distal end of the fourth drive cable is guided by the front of the first pulley and then by the rear of the fifth pulley and then installed on the second clamping part, and the distal end of the fifth drive cable is guided by the front of the fourth pulley and then by the rear of the eighth pulley and then installed on the second clamping part.

8. The surgical instrument as described in claim 5 is characterized in that the first bracket has a first through hole for allowing the first drive cable to pass through, a second through hole for allowing the second drive cable to pass through, and a third through hole for allowing the third drive cable to pass through, the first through hole, the second through hole and the third through hole are located on the same side of a first plane, and the first plane passes through the axis of the first pulley group and the axis of the second pulley group.

9. The surgical instrument as described in claim 8 is characterized in that the first bracket has a fourth through hole for the fourth drive cable to pass through and a fifth through hole for the fifth drive cable to pass through, and the fourth through hole and the fifth through hole are located on the same side of the first plane and on the opposite side of the first plane as the first through hole, or the second through hole, or the third through hole.

10 . The surgical instrument according to claim 9 , wherein a straight line passing through the center of the second through hole and the center of the third through hole is parallel to a straight line passing through the center of the fourth through hole and the center of the fifth through hole.

11 . The surgical instrument according to claim 10 , wherein the second through hole, the third through hole, the fourth through hole and the fifth through hole are arranged in a trapezoidal shape.

12 . The surgical instrument according to claim 10 , wherein the first through hole, the second through hole, the third through hole, and the fourth through hole are arranged in a parallelogram.

13. The surgical instrument as described in claim 1 is characterized in that the first pair of cables extend to the end effector after being guided by the first moving wheel, the second pair of cables extend to the end effector after being guided by the second moving wheel, and the main decoupling component changes the length of the first pair of cables and the second pair of cables in the driving device by driving the slide to move in a straight line.

14. The surgical instrument as described in claim 5 is characterized in that the driving device also includes a first guide wheel and a second guide wheel, the first pair of cables are first guided by the first guide wheel and then guided by the first moving wheel before extending to the end actuator, and the second pair of cables are first guided by the second guide wheel and then guided by the second moving wheel before extending to the end actuator.

15. The surgical instrument of claim 14, wherein the direction in which the carriage moves is parallel to a portion of the first pair of cables between the first moving wheel and the first guide wheel.

16. The surgical instrument of claim 14, wherein the direction in which the carriage moves is parallel to a portion of the second pair of cables between the second moving wheel and the second guide wheel.

17. The surgical instrument as described in claim 16 is characterized in that the driving device also includes a third guide wheel and a fourth guide wheel, the first pair of cables are guided by the first moving wheel and then extend to the end effector, and the second pair of cables are guided by the second moving wheel and then extend to the end effector.

18. The surgical instrument according to claim 17, characterized in that the axis of the third guide wheel is parallel to the axis of the fourth guide wheel and is perpendicular to the axis of the first guide wheel or the axis of the second guide wheel.

19. The surgical instrument of claim 18, wherein the direction of movement of the slide is parallel to a portion of the first pair of cables between the first moving wheel and the third guide wheel, and the direction of movement of the slide is parallel to a portion of the second pair of cables between the second moving wheel and the fourth guide wheel.

20. The surgical instrument as described in claim 5 is characterized in that the drive unit and the main decoupling member are used to 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 slave decoupling member moves under the drive of the main decoupling member 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.

21. The surgical instrument as described in claim 20 is characterized in that the drive unit and the main decoupling member are used to rotate in a second direction opposite to the first direction to reduce the length of the first pair of cables on the end actuator and increase the length of the second pair of cables on the end actuator, and the slave decoupling member is used to move under the drive 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.

22. The surgical instrument of claim 21, wherein the drive unit and the master decoupling member rotate so that the length of the second drive cable or the fourth drive cable on the end effector changes by an amount equal to twice the distance the slave decoupling member moves in the drive device.

23. The surgical instrument of claim 5, wherein the main decoupling member rotates in a first direction to release the first decoupling cable and retract the second decoupling cable to move the slide 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.

24. The surgical instrument as described in claim 23 is characterized in that the main decoupling member rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction to retract the first decoupling cable and release the second decoupling cable to allow the slide to move, thereby increasing the length of the first pair of cables in the drive device and reducing the length of the second pair of cables in the drive device.

25. The surgical instrument of claim 24, wherein the primary decoupling member is configured to rotate such that a length of the second drive cable or the fourth drive cable on the end effector changes by an amount equal to twice a distance the carriage moves in the drive device.

26. The surgical instrument according to claim 25, characterized in that the proximal end of the second bracket has an annular groove, and the distal end of the first driving cable is accommodated in the annular groove and forms a wrap angle in the annular groove.

27. The surgical instrument according to claim 26, characterized in that the radius of each pulley of the second pulley block is the same, which is r1, the radius of the main decoupling member is r2, the radius of the driving unit is R2, and the bottom groove radius R1 of the annular groove, the radius r1 of each pulley of the second pulley block, the radius r2 of the main decoupling member and the radius R2 of the driving unit satisfy the following relationship:

Wherein, N is the number of the moving wheels and is an even number.

28. The surgical instrument as described in claim 27, characterized in that the number N of the moving wheels is 2.

29. A slave operating device, characterized in that the slave operating device comprises a robotic arm and a surgical instrument as described in any one of claims 1 to 28, the surgical instrument is mounted on the robotic arm, and the robotic arm is used to manipulate the movement of the surgical instrument.

30. A surgical robot, characterized in that the surgical robot comprises a main operating console and a slave operating device as described in claim 29, and the slave operating device performs corresponding operations according to instructions of the main operating console.