WO2013018984A2

WO2013018984A2 - Master gripper structure for surgical robot

Info

Publication number: WO2013018984A2
Application number: PCT/KR2012/004093
Authority: WO
Inventors: 최승욱; 장배상; 이민규; 원종석
Original assignee: (주)미래컴퍼니
Priority date: 2011-08-03
Filing date: 2012-05-24
Publication date: 2013-02-07
Also published as: KR20130015440A; WO2013018984A3

Abstract

Disclosed is a master gripper structure for a surgical robot. A gripper structure, which is furnished on the master handle of a surgical robot and receives the input of grip manipulations by a user, comprises: a rod-shaped handle member which is connected to a master handle so as to be rotatable around the lengthwise axis thereof; a grip section, which contracts toward the outer peripheral surface of the handle member in response to grip manipulation by a user, and which is radially arranged along the outer peripheral surface of the handle member, and thus can maintain the same state in which grip manipulation by a user can be received, regardless of the extent to which the handle member is rotated; and a sensing unit which senses information corresponding to the extent of the contraction of the grip section due to the grip manipulation by a user, and outputs a sensing signal. The gripper structure has a grip section radially arranged on the outer peripheral section of a handle member, with structures such as an umbrella structure, an umbrella rib structure, a steamer structure, or the structure in which sensors are installed, thus a user can always perform grip manipulations in the same state, regardless of the degree to which the handle member is rotated, i.e. the rotational angle of the handle member.

Description

Master Gripper Structure of Surgical Robot

The present invention relates to a master gripper structure of a surgical robot.

Medically, surgery refers to healing a disease by cutting, slitting, or manipulating skin, mucous membranes, or other tissues with a medical device. In particular, open surgery, which incise the skin of the surgical site and open, treat, shape, or remove the organs inside of the surgical site, has recently been performed using robots due to problems such as bleeding, side effects, patient pain, and scars. This alternative is in the spotlight.

Such a surgical robot may be divided into a master unit that generates and transmits a signal required by a doctor's operation, and a slave unit that receives a signal from an operation unit and directly applies a manipulation necessary to a patient. And the slave unit may be divided as each part of a single surgical robot, or each may be a separate device, that is, the operation unit may be divided into a master robot and the driving unit may be disposed in an operating room, respectively.

The master part of the surgical robot is provided with a device for the doctor's operation. In the case of robot surgery, the surgeon does not directly manipulate the instruments required for the operation, but the various instruments mounted on the robot by operating the above-mentioned devices are required for the operation. Perform the action.

A surgical instrument is mounted on the slave part of the surgical robot, and an effector is coupled to the end of the instrument. The effector is made of various shapes and structures, such as tongs, scissors, knives, needles, etc., depending on the type of surgical operation. As described above, as the device is installed in the master unit, the effector of the instrument is used for surgery according to the shape and structure. A variety of operations, such as grip, cutting, and suturing, may be performed as necessary.

Among these, when the effector has a tong structure, a gripper may be installed in the master device to control the operation of the effector. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the pair of grippers 8 protrude into the shape of wings on both sides of the handle member 12 of the master handle 40 of the surgical robot, so as to have a tong shape (effect shape of the effector as a whole). By installing the gripper, the effector also performs the tong operation corresponding to the user operating the gripper 8.

However, in the conventional master gripper structure, when the handle member is rotated about its longitudinal direction (see the arrow in FIG. 1), the pair of grippers 8 also rotate, so that the user may move the gripper according to the rotation state of the handle member. Situations may not occur smoothly.

For example, assuming that the user can smoothly grip the gripper using the thumb and index finger when the pair of grippers are placed horizontally (left and right), the handle member is rotated so that the gripper is placed vertically (upper). If the user does not easily grasp the gripper, the user can rotate the finger so that the thumb and index finger go upward and downward, respectively, to smoothly grip the gripper.

In the robotic surgery process, the doctor may hold or release the gripper while looking at the endoscope screen (that is, without the gripper). Therefore, in the conventional gripper structure described above, the doctor may not grip the gripper properly depending on the surgical situation. Cases can occur, and the risk of leading to medical accidents cannot be ruled out.

The background art described above is technical information possessed by the inventors for the derivation of the present invention or acquired during the derivation process of the present invention, and is not necessarily a publicly known technique disclosed to the general public before the application of the present invention.

On the other hand, US Patent Publication No. 6,714,839 discloses a gripper structure protruding in the shape of a wing on both sides of the handle member, US Patent No. US 6,669,693 is a tissue ablation device consisting of an umbrella flesh Is disclosed.

The present invention improves the conventional gripper structure, and provides a master gripper structure of a surgical robot that enables a user to smoothly grip and grip the gripper regardless of the rotation state of the master handle.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a gripper structure provided on a master handle of a surgical robot and receiving a grip operation from a user, the rod shape being rotatably coupled to the master handle in the longitudinal direction thereof. Of the handle member and the handle member and the handle member is contracted toward the outer circumferential surface of the handle member according to the user's grip operation, and is disposed radially along the outer circumferential portion of the handle member to receive a grip operation from the user regardless of the degree of rotation of the handle member. There is provided a master gripper structure of a surgical robot including a grip part which maintains a constant part and a sensing part which senses information corresponding to a degree of contraction of the grip part by a user's grip operation and outputs a sensing signal.

The grip portion includes a plurality of grip elements that are radially arranged around the outer circumferential surface of the handle member and have a solid shape, the vertices of which are connected to one end of the handle member, to form an umbrella structure having one end of the handle member as a vertex. have. Alternatively, a plurality of grip elements radially hinged to one end of the handle member and arranged radially around the outer circumferential surface of the handle member may form an umbrella structure having one end of the handle member as a vertex. Or a plurality of grip elements that are radially hinged to one end of the handle member and have a plurality of sequential overlapping relations radially connected to each other and arranged radially around the outer circumferential surface of the handle member. The steamer structure can be achieved.

In some grip elements of the plurality of grip elements, a reference point may be formed so that a user may sense with a finger in a grip manipulation process. In addition, the plurality of grip elements may be provided with a plurality of reference points, respectively, corresponding to the user's finger. Corresponding to the user's grip operation on some of the plurality of grip elements, the whole of the plurality of grip elements may be retracted toward the outer circumferential surface of the handle member, or only some of the manipulated grip elements may be retracted toward the outer circumferential surface of the handle member.

The sensing unit may output different sensing signals with respect to a user's grip operation on the first grip element among the plurality of grip elements and a user's grip operation on the second grip element among the plurality of grip elements, respectively.

The control unit may further include a control unit configured to receive a sensing signal and generate a control signal and transmit the control signal to a surgical robot, wherein the control unit calculates a representative value from different sensing signals, generates a control signal corresponding to the representative value, or generates different sensing signals. Corresponding to each other, it is possible to generate different control signals.

In this case, the surgical robot is equipped with a surgical instrument that moves in a plurality of operating degrees of freedom, and different control signals may be matched with the degrees of freedom of operation of the instruments, respectively. Alternatively, the surgical robot may be equipped with a plurality of surgical instruments, and different control signals may be matched to the plurality of instruments, respectively.

On the other hand, according to another aspect of the present invention, provided in the master handle of the surgical robot, as a gripper (gripper) structure for receiving a grip operation from the user, which is rotatably coupled to the master handle, the longitudinal direction of the axis A rod-shaped handle member and a sensing unit configured to be radially disposed along the outer circumference of the handle member to maintain a constant state in which a grip operation can be input from a user regardless of the degree of rotation of the handle member, but the sensing unit includes: There is provided a master gripper structure of a surgical robot, characterized in that for outputting a sensing signal by sensing the force by the grip operation.

In the sensing unit, a reference point may be formed so that a user may detect with a finger in a grip manipulation process. The sensing unit may be formed of one force sensor surrounding the outer circumferential surface of the handle member, or may be formed of a plurality of force sensors disposed along the outer circumferential surface of the handle member.

In this case, the sensing unit may output different sensing signals with respect to a user's grip operation on the first force sensor among the plurality of force sensors and a user's grip operation on the second force sensor among the plurality of force sensors, respectively. have.

The control unit may further include a control unit configured to receive a sensing signal and generate a control signal and transmit the control signal to a surgical robot, wherein the control unit calculates a representative value from different sensing signals, generates a control signal corresponding to the representative value, or generates different sensing signals. Different control signals can be generated correspondingly.

The surgical robot is equipped with a surgical instrument moving in a plurality of operating degrees of freedom, and different control signals may be matched to the degrees of freedom of operation of the instruments, respectively. Alternatively, the surgical robot may be equipped with a plurality of surgical instruments, and different control signals may be matched to the plurality of instruments, respectively.

On the other hand, according to another aspect of the present invention, provided in the master handle of the surgical robot, as a gripper (gripper) structure for receiving a grip operation from the user, which is rotatably coupled to the master handle, the longitudinal direction of the axis A grip member which is hinged to one end of the handle member so as to be disposed on a rod-shaped handle member and a part of the outer peripheral portion of the handle member, and is contracted toward the outer peripheral surface of the handle member according to a user's grip operation, and a grip portion by a user's grip operation. The sensing unit for outputting the first sensing signal by sensing the information corresponding to the degree of contraction of the sensor and the grip unit of the outer peripheral portion of the handle member is installed, the second sensing signal by sensing the force by the grip operation of the user Receiving a force sensor and a first sensing signal and the second sensing signal and generates a control signal corresponding to the transfer to the surgical robot The master of the surgical robot gripper structure is provided that includes fishermen.

The controller may generate different control signals in correspondence with the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal. The surgical robot is equipped with a surgical instrument moving in a plurality of operating degrees of freedom, and different control signals may be matched to the degrees of freedom of operation of the instruments, respectively. Alternatively, the surgical robot may be equipped with a plurality of surgical instruments, and different control signals may be matched to the plurality of instruments, respectively.

Other aspects, features, and advantages other than those described above will become apparent from the following drawings, claims, and detailed description of the invention.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, by allowing the grip portion to be radially disposed along the outer circumference of the handle member, such as an umbrella structure, an umbrella meat structure, a steamer structure, a sensor installation structure, and so on, the user is irrespective of the degree of rotation of the master handle, that is, Even if the handle member is rotated at any angle, the grip operation can always be performed in the same state.

In addition, by utilizing a gripper structure capable of always operating the grip in the same state irrespective of the rotation of the handle member, the sensing signal generated by the grip operation is different depending on the degree of rotation of the handle member, from which different control signals By allowing the to be generated, the user can control the surgical robot in various ways simply by changing the grip angle of the gripper.

1 is a view showing a gripper structure according to the prior art.

2 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall structure of a surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 and 4 illustrate a gripper structure according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

5 to 7 show a gripper structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a view showing a gripper structure according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 8;

10 and 11 are views showing the operating state of the gripper according to the embodiment of the present invention.

12 is a view showing a gripper structure according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

13 is a view showing a gripper structure according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

As the invention allows for various changes and numerous embodiments, particular embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the written description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, it should be understood to include all transformations, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention. In the following description of the present invention, if it is determined that the detailed description of the related known technology may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Terms such as first and second may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, the terms "comprise" or "have" are intended to indicate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, and one or more other features. It is to be understood that the present invention does not exclude the possibility of the presence or the addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, components, or a combination thereof.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and in the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding components are given the same reference numerals and redundant description thereof will be omitted. Shall be.

2 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall structure of a surgical robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, a surgical robot 1, a master handle 3, an instrument 5, a handle member 10, a grip part 20, a sensing part 30, and a controller 50 are illustrated.

This embodiment improves the disadvantages of the gripper structure in which a pair of grippers protrude into a wing shape on both sides of the handle member 10 as shown in FIG. 1, and has a conical shape along the outer circumference of the handle member 10. By manufacturing the gripper in the shape of an umbrella, umbrella shape, steamer, etc., the user can hold and operate the gripper in a uniform state regardless of the degree of rotation of the handle member 10.

That is, in the conventional gripper structure, when the pair of wing-type grippers maintain a horizontal state (or a predetermined reference state), the user grasps and operates the gripper by using the thumb and index finger, and if the handle member is rotated, the gripper When the user is out of the horizontal state, the user rotates the handle member so that the gripper becomes horizontal again, and then there is an inconvenience of holding and holding the gripper.

On the other hand, in the gripper structure according to the present embodiment, regardless of the rotation state of the handle member 10 (and the grip portion 20), the user can hold and operate the grip portion 20 using the thumb and the index finger, and the grip portion It is not necessary to rotate the handle member 10 separately to properly grasp (20), and furthermore, even if the thumb and the index finger does not necessarily hold the grip 20 with an arbitrary finger, the same operation is possible.

The master gripper according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, is a structure provided in the master handle 3 of the surgical robot 1, and a user of the surgical robot 1 uses a finger to grip the gripper. For example, a thumb and forefinger) may hold or press (or press) or release (ie, grip) an operation, and the surgical robot 1 receives a user's grip operation on the gripper and based on the operation Various control signals for operating the robot 1 are generated.

Hereinafter, the user grips each part of the grip part 20 (see 'grip element' described later) with a finger, and pinches or spreads the finger so that the grip part 20 is collapsed (contracted) or expanded (expanded) to be manipulated. Manipulation ', the operation of the effect of the instrument (5) in order to collapse or open corresponding to the grip operation will be described as' grip operation'.

The master gripper structure according to the present embodiment includes a handle member 10 coupled to the master handle 3, a grip part 20 arranged based on the handle member 10, and a user operation result on the grip part 20. It consists of a sensing unit 30 for detecting.

The handle member 10 is a member constituting the basic skeleton of the gripper structure, has a rod shape extending in the longitudinal direction, and is coupled to the master handle 3 so as to rotate in the longitudinal direction thereof. For example, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 12 to be described later, the handle member 10 can be manufactured in a cylindrical shape, and the cylinder is centered on a longitudinal axis (that is, an axis penetrating the center of the upper and lower circles). An end of the handle member 10 may be coupled to the master handle 3 so as to rotate.

The grip part 20 is a part which a user grabs for a grip operation, ie, a part deformed by a user's grabbing operation. The grip portion 20 according to the present embodiment is to allow the user to operate the grip regardless of the degree of rotation of the handle member 10, as shown in Figures 3 to 8, the outer peripheral portion of the handle member 10 Along radially.

As such, the grip part 20 is not protruded only to a specific part of the handle member 10, but is evenly distributed along the outer circumference of the handle member 10, so that the user may be uniform regardless of the rotation state of the handle member 10. In the situation, the grip part 20 can be operated. That is, the grip part 20 according to the present exemplary embodiment has an advantage of maintaining a constant state in which a grip operation can be input from a user regardless of the rotation of the handle member 10.

Conventional pairs of wing-type grippers were manipulated in such a way that when the user grabbed the gripper, the wings were folded in close contact with the handle member 10 and then unfolded again when the user released the gripper.

In the gripper according to the present embodiment, since the grip part 20 is disposed radially around the handle member 10, when the user grasps the grip part 20, the grip part 20 is in close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the handle member 10. It can be retracted and manipulated in such a way that when the user releases the grip 20, it unfolds back to its original state (disposed radially around the handle).

Alternatively, a finger receiver such as a thimble or a ring may be installed in the grip unit 20 so that the user's finger can be inserted, and the user grips the finger while inserting the thumb and index finger into the finger receiver, respectively. When the 20 is contracted and the finger is opened, the grip part 20 may be unfolded in its original state.

As such, when the user manipulates the grip, the grip part 20 is contracted or unfolded. The sensing part 30 according to the present embodiment senses the contraction degree (and / or the unfolded degree) of the grip part 20 to the user. The sensing signal is output so as to know whether the grip operation has been performed to such an extent.

For example, the gripper structure according to the present embodiment is a structure in which a hinge shaft is installed at a portion where the grip portion 20 is coupled to the handle member 10 and a motor and an encoder are connected to the hinge shaft (see FIG. 4). When the user grips the grip part 20 and the grip part 20 contracts, the hinge shaft and the degree of rotation of the motor are output through the encoder. In this case, the encoder senses the sensing part according to the present embodiment. 30).

In FIG. 4, the grip part 20 is connected to the handle member 10 by a hinge axis, and the structure is connected to the motor and the encoder (see 'M' in FIG. 4) through a wire or a rod. In this structure, the motor may be omitted (encoder only) if only the sensing of how much the grip portion 20 is pressed and there is no need to provide a reaction force to the grip portion 20. In addition, the encoder does not necessarily need to be installed in order to sense how pressed the grip unit 20 may be provided with a hall sensor or the like. In other words, other sensors, such as Hall sensors and potentiometers, are possible.

On the other hand, when the gripper structure according to the present embodiment is a structure in which a force sensor is installed in the grip unit 20 and a signal sensed by the force sensor is transmitted to the controller 50 of the robot, the user grips the grip unit 20. When the grip part 20 is contracted by the grabbing operation, a signal is output according to a result of the user pressing the force sensor in the process, in which case the force sensor may correspond to the sensing part 30 according to the present embodiment.

That is, the sensing unit 30 according to the present exemplary embodiment may be implemented in various structures, and performs a common function in that the sensing unit 30 senses information corresponding to the degree of contraction of the grip unit 20 as the user grips. .

The sensing signal output from the sensing unit 30 is transmitted to the control unit 50 of the surgical robot 1, and the control unit 50 generates and transmits a control signal based on the sensing signal, thereby performing various operations necessary for surgery. The robot is controlled to perform.

3 and 4 show a gripper structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 5 to 7 show a gripper structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. A gripper structure according to a third embodiment is shown, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 3-9, the handle member 10, the grip 20, the

grip elements

22, 24, 26, and the reference point 28 are shown.

3 through 8 illustrate embodiments of various grip portion structures.

3 is a case where the grip portion 20 is made of a so-called 'umbrella structure'. The grip portion 20 may consist of several grip elements 22, each grip element 22 being pressed or unfolded by a user's grip manipulation. In FIG. 3, the plurality of grip elements 22 are radially arranged around the outer circumferential surface of the handle member 10 and are respectively coupled to one end of the handle member 10, so that one end of the handle member 10 is viewed as a vertex. A solid shape or a cone shape is achieved.

Here, such a structure is referred to as an 'umbrella structure', and the grip portion 20 of the umbrella structure having one end of the handle member 10 as a vertex is illustrated in FIG. 3.

5 is a case where the grip portion 20 is made of a so-called 'umbrella structure'. The grip portion 20 may consist of several grip elements 24, each grip element 24 being pressed or unfolded by a user's grip manipulation. In FIG. 5, the plurality of grip elements 24 are arranged radially around the outer circumferential surface of the handle member 10, and are radially hinged to one end of the handle member 10, respectively. 'Umbrella stand' and grip element 24 is shaped like 'umbrella' with one end of handle member 10 as a vertex.

Herein, such a structure is referred to as an 'umbrella structure', and FIG. 5 illustrates an grip portion 20 of an umbrella structure having one end of the handle member 10 as a vertex.

In the case of the umbrella structure illustrated in FIG. 3, the grip part 20 is made of a face material corresponding to the umbrella cloth, and the grip part 20 is operated in such a way that the grip part 20 shrinks as a whole or wrinkles are generated for each unit grip element 22. In the case of the umbrella structure shown in Fig. 5, the grip elements 24 are respectively retracted while rotating to approach the handle member 10 (see FIG. 6 (a)), and are respectively extended to rotate away from the handle member 10. Can be operated (see FIG. 6 (b)).

8 is a case where the grip portion 20 is made of a so-called 'steamer structure'. FIG. 9 shows a cross section in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the handle member with respect to FIG. 8. As illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, the grip portion 20 may consist of several grip elements 26, each grip element 26 being pressed or unfolded by a user's grip manipulation. 8 and 9, the plurality of grip elements 26 are arranged radially around the outer circumferential surface of the handle member 10, each of which is radially hinged to one end of the handle member 10, and partially sequentially overlaps each other. Is radially chained, so as to look at the overall shape to form a 'steamer' based on one end of the handle member (10).

Here, such a structure is referred to as a 'steamer structure', and the grip part 20 of the steamer structure based on one end of the handle member 10 is illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9.

In the case of the umbrella structure illustrated in FIG. 5, each grip element 24 is configured to rotate independently (as well as to rotate in conjunction with each other), while the steamer structure illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 is illustrated. In this case, the grip elements 26 are sequentially overlapped with each other, so that when one grip element 26 is manipulated to contract (or expand), the rest of the grip elements 26 also contract (or expand). Can be operated in a manner.

3 to 8, each grip element 20 forms a shape of a circle (for umbrella structure), a regular hexagon (for umbrella structure), or the like, when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the handle member 10. 22, 24 and 26 are arrange | positioned. However, the

grip elements

22, 24, and 26 according to the present exemplary embodiment are not necessarily arranged to form a circle, a regular hexagon, and a regular polygon, but are elliptical or any one when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the handle member 10. It may be arranged to form an elongated hexagon, polygon, and the like.

In particular, as described later, only the manipulated grip element is deformed according to the grip operation on each

grip element

22, 24, or 26, or each grip element when the sensing signal is generated differently for each grip element. The necessity of arranging in the shape of an oval or an asymmetric polygon may be increased.

Meanwhile, as described above, the

grip elements

22, 24, and 26 are disposed to implement the gripper structure by arranging the plurality of

grip elements

22, 24, and 26 radially (an umbrella structure, an umbrella structure, a steamer structure, and the like). A reference point 28 which can be sensed by a finger may be formed on some of the fingers to allow the user to check whether a specific grip element is caught in the grip manipulation process.

For example, when the user manipulates the gripper with his finger while looking at the endoscope screen during the robotic surgery, the user forms the reference point 28 such as a small protrusion on the part where the user's thumb touches a specific grip element. You can also check whether you have a particular grip element without looking at it.

That is, the grip part 20 according to the present embodiment is not only a structure in which the grip operation can be performed by any finger, but also allows the user to grasp a certain grip element by allowing the user to identify the grip element as a reference using only a finger touch. It is possible to know tactilely whether or not (to grab a reference grip element), so that the user can easily implement 'hand-eye coordination' to match the motion of the hand and the eye during the surgical procedure. .

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the reference point is not necessarily formed only on one of the grip elements, may be formed on a plurality of parts of the grip elements, or may form different reference points for the entire grip element.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7 in which the grip element illustrated in FIG. 5 is seen in the form seen in the longitudinal direction of the handle member 10, one grip is used as a reference point for the grip element that the thumb and the middle of the grip elements touch. And a reference point is formed on the grip element that the index finger touches, and two projections are formed as reference points on the grip element that the index finger touches, and a finger is formed in the process of grasping the grip part by the user. It can be tactilely guided by which grip element was captured.

10 and 11 are views showing an operating state of the gripper according to an embodiment of the present invention. 10 and 11, the handle member 10, the grip 20, the

grip elements

24, 24a, 24b, 24c, the sensing unit 30, and the controller 50 are shown.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 8, the user performs a grip operation on some of the plurality of

grip elements

22, 24, and 26, in which case the plurality of grip elements 22 according to the user's grip operation. , 24, 26) can implement a grip structure such that the whole can be shrunk (or expanded) all at once, or only some of the grip elements manipulated by the user (only between the opposing grip elements pressed by fingers) can be shrunk (or expanded) It is also possible to implement a grip structure. FIG. 10 illustrates the grip part structure shown in FIG. 5 as an example, but the grip part operating method shown in FIG. 10 may also be applied to the grip part structures shown in FIGS. 3 and 8.

For example, when the grip element 24 corresponding to each umbrella of the umbrella structure is hinged to one end of the handle member 10, the hinge shafts of the umbrellas are connected to each other by gear coupling or the like. As shown in FIG. 10 (a), the rest of the grip elements 24 may be moved as a whole according to an operation on one of the grip elements 24, and the hinge axes of the umbrellas may move independently of each other ( By not connecting to each other), as shown in FIG. 10 (b), only a part of the grip element 24 may be moved according to an operation on the part of the grip element 24.

The grip element illustrated in FIG. 10 is described again with reference to FIG. 11, which is shown in the form seen in the longitudinal direction of the handle member 10, as shown in FIG. 11A, for any one grip element 24a. Depending on the operation, the remaining

grip elements

24b and 24c may be moved as a whole, and as shown in FIG. 11 (b), only a part of the grip elements 24b moves in accordance with an operation on a part of the grip elements 24b. You can also

Furthermore, when only the manipulated grip element 24 is to be moved independently, it may be possible to give different outputs to the operation result for each grip element 24. That is, in the sensing unit 30 according to the present embodiment, the grip operation on some grip elements (first grip elements) and the grip operation on some other grip elements (second grip elements) are different from each other. The sensing signal may be output. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, when the grip part 20 includes three pairs (six) of

grip elements

24a, 24b, and 24c in total, each pair of

grip elements

24a, 24b, and 24c may be used. According to the grip operation, three different sensing signals may be output.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, in the case of a grip operation on the first grip element pair 24a, a first sensing signal is output and a grip on the second grip element pair 24b is output. In the case of the manipulation, the second sensing signal may be output, and in the case of the grip manipulation with respect to the third grip element pair 24c, the third sensing signal may be output.

This can be variously implemented according to the configuration of the sensing unit 30. For example, when the sensing unit 30 is implemented in the form of an encoder connected to the motor as described above, the encoder drives the motor (in the grip operation). The grip element 24 (actuated by) may be identified such that a different signal is output for each grip element 24.

Even in this case, if only the sensing of the grip element 24 is operated as described above and there is no need to provide reaction force to the grip element 24, the motor may be omitted (encoder only) and the grip element ( Of course, other sensors, such as a hall sensor, may be installed to sense how much 24 is pressed.

In addition, when the sensing unit 30 is implemented in the form of a force sensor installed on each grip element 24, the sensing signal may be independently output for each force sensor.

As such, when independent sensing signals are output for each grip element 24, different sensing signals may be used for different control. That is, the control unit 50 of the surgical robot according to the present embodiment may receive the sensing signal independently output for each grip element 24 and generate the control signal independently to correspond to each sensing signal.

When a surgical instrument mounted on a surgical robot moves with a plurality of operating degrees of freedom, different control signals generated independently can be matched to respective degrees of freedom of operation of the instrument.

For example, not only when an instrument has two jaws in general, but also a so-called 'compound instrument' having three or more jaws, the above-described plurality of control signals may be matched to the freedom of operation of each jaw. have.

As described above, the grip unit 20 includes a total of three pairs (6) of grip elements 24, and three sensing signals are output for each pair of grip elements 24. When the branch control signal is generated, the surgical instrument moves with three degrees of freedom of rotation, tilting, and gripping, so that the three control signals match each of the three degrees of freedom. A user manipulates any pair of grip elements 24 to control the rotation of the instrument, another pair of grip elements 24 controls the tilting of the instrument, and another pair of grip elements 24 ) To control the gripping of the instrument.

Alternatively, when a plurality of instruments are mounted on the surgical robot, different control signals generated independently may be matched to each instrument.

For example, the grip part 20 is composed of a total of three pairs (6) of grip elements 24, and three sensing signals are output for each pair of grip elements 24. When a control signal is generated, when three instruments are mounted on the surgical robot, the three control signals are matched to each of the three instruments, so that the user manipulates any one pair of grip elements 24 to control the first robot. It is also possible to control the instrument, manipulate the other pair of grip elements 24 to control the second instrument, and manipulate another pair of grip elements 24 to control the third instrument.

On the other hand, when the sensing signal is to be output independently for each grip element 24, different sensing signals are not necessarily used for different control, each independent sensing signal is to be used for one control It may be.

That is, the control unit 50 of the surgical robot according to the present embodiment receives different sensing signals, calculates the representative value by integrating the sensing signals (for example, calculate the maximum value or the average value), and calculated By generating a control signal corresponding to the representative value, any one of the plurality of grip elements 24 may be manipulated so as to control one of the control objects (for example, a specific degree of freedom among a plurality of operating degrees of the instrument, or a specific instrument among the plurality of instruments, etc.). ) May be controlled.

12 is a view showing a gripper structure according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 12, the handle member 10, the reference point 28, the sensing unit 30, the

force sensors

32 and 34, and the controller 50 are illustrated.

In this embodiment, in the master gripper structure, the grip member 20 which is moved by the user's grip operation is omitted, and the

force sensors

32 and 34 are disposed along the outer circumferential surface of the handle member 10, thereby providing a handle member ( 10) It senses the grip operation of the user and senses the degree of grip operation by the magnitude of the user's grip.

The master gripper according to the present embodiment is also a structure provided in the master handle 3 of the surgical robot as shown in FIG. 2, the handle member 10 coupled to the master handle 3, and the handle member ( And a sensing unit 30 for detecting a user's grip manipulation with respect to 10).

The handle member 10 is a member constituting the basic skeleton of the gripper structure as in the above-described embodiment, and has a rod shape extending in the longitudinal direction, and is coupled to the master handle 3 so as to rotate in the longitudinal direction thereof. do.

In the present embodiment, instead of the grip 20, the sensing unit 30 is disposed radially along the outer circumference of the handle member 10. That is, the sensing unit 30 according to the present embodiment, so that the user can operate the grip regardless of the degree of rotation of the handle member 10, as shown in Figure 12, the outer peripheral portion of the handle member 10 Along the radial direction.

As such, the sensing unit 30 is not only installed at a specific portion of the handle member 10, but is evenly distributed along the outer circumferential portion of the handle member 10, so that the user may be uniform regardless of the rotation state of the handle member 10. In one situation, the operation of holding the handle member 10 can be performed. That is, the sensing unit 30 according to the present exemplary embodiment maintains the state in which the grip operation can be input from the user regardless of the rotation of the handle member 10.

Accordingly, when the user manipulates the handle member 10 and the user presses the sensing unit 30 (force sensors 32 and 34) in the process, the sensing unit 30 is controlled by the user's grip operation. It senses the force and outputs the sensing signal.

On the other hand, as in the above-described embodiment, by forming a reference point 28 that can be detected with a finger on some of the sensing unit 30, by allowing the user to check whether a particular grip element is caught in the grip operation process, Of course, 'hand-eye coordination' is easy to implement.

The sensing unit 30 according to the present exemplary embodiment includes a belt-shaped force sensor 32 surrounding the outer circumferential surface of the handle member 10 as illustrated in FIG. 12A, or the handle member as illustrated in FIG. 12B. It is also possible to comprise a plurality of force sensors 34 arranged at predetermined intervals along the outer circumferential surface of (10).

In the case of enclosing the outer circumferential surface of the handle member 10 by the band-shaped force sensor 32 (that is, when a plurality of force sensors are installed in a band-like manner), the sensing is different from each other according to the user's finger holding area. The value may be sensed. In this case, a representative value (for example, a maximum value, a minimum value, an average value, etc.) among different sensing values may be read and output as a sensing signal.

On the other hand, in the case of installing a plurality of force sensors 34 on the outer peripheral surface of the handle member 10, the sensing signal can be output independently from each sensor, in this case, the control unit 50 of the surgical robot different Each sensing signal may be integrated to calculate a representative value (eg, a maximum value, a minimum value, an average value, etc.), and a control signal for controlling the surgical robot may be generated to correspond to the calculated representative value.

Furthermore, when installing a plurality of force sensors 34, it is possible to output different output for the operation results for each force sensor 34. That is, in the sensing unit 30 according to the present embodiment, the grip operation on some force sensors (first force sensor) and the grip operation on some other force sensors (second force sensor) are different from each other. The sensing signal may be output. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 12, when the sensing unit 30 includes three pairs (six) of force sensors 34, three pairs of force sensors 34 differ from each other according to the grip operation of the user for each pair of force sensors 34. The sensing signal of the branch can be output.

As such, when an independent sensing signal is output for each force sensor 34, different sensing signals may be used for different control. That is, the control unit 50 of the surgical robot according to the present embodiment may receive the sensing signal independently output for each force sensor 34 and generate the control signal independently to correspond to each sensing signal.

Accordingly, as in the above-described embodiment, when the surgical instrument mounted on the surgical robot moves with a plurality of operating degrees of freedom, different independently generated control signals can be matched to respective degrees of freedom of operation of the instrument. Alternatively, when a plurality of instruments are mounted on the surgical robot, different control signals generated independently may be matched to each instrument.

In this case, the surgical robot or the surgical instrument may be controlled to be operated in different ways according to the position (angle) of the force applied to the handle member 10 by the grip operation of the user. For example, assuming that the surgical robot is equipped with an instrument for performing a grip operation and an electrosurgical device, and a position where the thumb of the user touches the handle member 10 is 0 degrees, the user handle member 10 Holding the 0 degree and near 180 degrees of the instrument performs the grip operation, the user can hold the -30 degrees and 120 degrees of the handle member 10 can be controlled to operate the electrosurgery.

Meanwhile, the master gripper structure may be implemented by mixing the grip part structure of the 'wing moving' type illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 8 and the structure in which the force sensor illustrated in FIG. 12 is installed.

That is, as shown in Figure 13, by installing a grip portion 20 in the form of a wing in the handle member 10 and the force sensor 34 in the other part, for example, the thumb and middle finger grip 20 ), And the master gripper structure can be implemented with the index finger to press the force sensor 34 to issue a user command (set to correspond thereto).

Although described above with reference to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, those skilled in the art that various modifications of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention described in the claims below And can be changed.

Claims

It is provided on the master handle of the surgical robot, as a gripper (gripper) structure for receiving a grip operation from the user,

A rod-shaped handle member rotatably coupled to the master handle in an axial direction thereof;

It is contracted toward the outer circumferential surface of the handle member according to the user's grip operation, and is disposed radially along the outer circumferential portion of the handle member, so that a state in which the grip operation can be input by the user regardless of the degree of rotation of the handle member is constant. A grip portion to hold;

A master gripper structure of a surgical robot comprising a sensing unit for outputting a sensing signal by detecting information corresponding to the degree of contraction of the grip unit by a user's grip operation.
The method of claim 1,

The grip part includes a plurality of grip elements that are arranged radially around the outer circumferential surface of the handle member and have a vertex shape in which a vertex thereof is coupled to one end of the handle member, and an umbrella having one end of the handle member as a vertex. Master gripper structure of the surgical robot, characterized in that the structure.
The method of claim 1,

The grip part includes a plurality of grip elements radially hinged to one end of the handle member and arranged radially around the outer circumferential surface of the handle member, thereby forming an umbrella structure having one end of the handle member as a vertex. Master gripper structure of the surgical robot, characterized in that.
The method of claim 1,

The grip part includes a plurality of grip elements radially hinged to one end of the handle member, the sequential partial overlapping relationship of which is radially concatenated, and arranged radially around the outer circumferential surface of the handle member. A master gripper structure for a surgical robot, comprising a steamer structure based on one end of the member.
The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4,

The grip element of the plurality of grip elements, the master gripper structure of the surgical robot, characterized in that the reference point is formed so that the user can sense with a finger in the grip operation process.
The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4,

The grip elements, the master gripper structure of the surgical robot, characterized in that each of the plurality of reference points are formed corresponding to the user's finger.
The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4,

And corresponding to the grip operation of the user with respect to a part of the plurality of grip elements, the entire grip element is retracted toward the outer circumferential surface of the handle member.
The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4,

Corresponding to a user's grip manipulation of a portion of the plurality of grip elements, only the manipulated portion of the grip element contracts toward the outer circumferential surface of the handle member.
The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4,

The sensing unit may output different sensing signals with respect to a user's grip operation on a first grip element among the plurality of grip elements and a user's grip operation on a second grip element among the plurality of grip elements, respectively. Master gripper structure of a surgical robot characterized in that.
The method of claim 9,

Receiving the sensing signal and generates a control signal further comprising a control unit for transmitting to the surgical robot,

The control unit calculates a representative value from the different sensing signals, and the master gripper structure of the surgical robot, characterized in that for generating the control signal corresponding to the representative value.