Medical manipulator and medical robot system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a medical manipulator and a medical robot system. The manipulator has a connecting block, a joint shaft, and a distal-end working unit. The distal-end working unit has a gripper, a pitch axis, and a yaw axis which serve as distal-end joints for changing the orientation of the gripper. The gripper, the pitch axis, and the yaw axis are operated by rotors around which wires are wound. The joint shaft has a first intermediate joint and a second intermediate joint which are bendable by the wires which are moved back and forth. Since the manipulator can be bent at the first intermediate joint and the second intermediate joint, the joint shaft can appropriately be placed, and the gripper can be adjusted to an appropriate orientation with respect to an organ by being turned around the pitch axis and the yaw axis.

1 . A medical manipulator comprising:
 a rod-shaped member housing therein a first flexible member actuatable by a first actuator and a second flexible member actuatable by a second actuator, said rod-shaped member being flexible at least partly;   at least one distal-end joint disposed on a distal end of said rod-shaped member, said distal-end joint being angularly movable by a rotor around which said first flexible member is wound; and   at least one intermediate joint disposed on said rod-shaped member more closely to a proximal end thereof than said distal-end joint, said intermediate joint being bendable in response to back-and-forth movement of said second flexible member.   
     
     
         2 . A medical manipulator according to  claim 1 , wherein said rod-shaped member includes at least one guide plate having a hole defined therein through which said first flexible member extends. 
     
     
         3 . A medical manipulator according to  claim 1 , which is connected to a robot arm, wherein said robot arm is controlled to insert said rod-shaped member through a trocar into a body cavity and to move back and forth and tilt said rod-shaped member with respect to said trocar. 
     
     
         4 . A medical manipulator according to  claim 1 , wherein said intermediate joint includes a first intermediate joint and a second intermediate joint which are successively arranged from the distal end of said rod-shaped member;
 said first intermediate joint is disposed in a position within a range from 3 cm to 5 cm from the distal end of said rod-shaped member; and   said second intermediate joint is disposed in a position within a range from 7 cm to 15 cm from the distal end of said rod-shaped member.   
     
     
         5 . A medical robot system comprising:
 a plurality of first robot arms supporting respective manipulators thereon;   a second robot arm supporting an endoscope thereon; and   a controller for controlling said first robot arms and said second robot arm;   each of said manipulators including a rod-shaped member for insertion through a trocar into a body cavity, and a distal-end working unit mounted on a distal end of said rod-shaped member and having at least one joint;   wherein at least one of said manipulators comprises a retractor and has at least one intermediate joint disposed in said rod-shaped member for bending said rod-shaped member.   
     
     
         6 . A medical robot system according to  claim 5 , wherein said retractor coacts with one of said first robot arms connected thereto in a predetermined operation mode for moving said distal-end working unit back and forth while keeping a posture of the distal-end working unit constant, in a coordinate system based on the posture of said distal-end working unit. 
     
     
         7 . A medical robot system according to  claim 5 , wherein said retractor coacts with one of said first robot arms connected thereto in a predetermined operation mode for bending said intermediate joint while keeping a position and a posture of said distal-end working unit constant. 
     
     
         8 . A medical robot system according to  claim 7 , further comprising:
 rotary input means for moving said intermediate joint on a hypothetical sphere or a hypothetical arc around a predetermined reference point on said rod-shaped member, depending on an angular amount by which and a direction in which said rotary input means is angularly moved.   
     
     
         9 . A medical robot system according to  claim 8 , wherein said rotary input means comprises a trackball. 
     
     
         10 . A medical robot system according to  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a switch for selectively enabling and disabling said rotary input means.   
     
     
         11 . A medical robot system comprising:
 a plurality of first robot arms supporting respective manipulators thereon;   a second robot arm supporting an endoscope thereon; and   a controller for controlling said first robot arms and said second robot arm;   said manipulators and said endoscope being inserted into a body cavity through a common trocar supporting member,   wherein each of said manipulators includes a rod-shaped member for insertion through said trocar supporting member into said body cavity, a distal-end working unit mounted on a distal end of said rod-shaped member and having at least one joint, and at least one intermediate joint disposed in said rod-shaped member for bending said rod-shaped member.   
     
     
         12 . A medical robot system according to  claim 11 , wherein at least one of said manipulators serves as a retractor, and said rod-shaped member of said at least one manipulator serving as the retractor includes a plurality of said intermediate joints. 
     
     
         13 . A medical robot system according to  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a monitor for displaying an image captured with said endoscope;   first input means which is operated by the left hand of an operator; and   second input means which is operated by the right hand of said operator,   wherein, when said rod-shaped members of two of said manipulators intersect with each other at said trocar supporting member, said manipulator that is located on the left side on a screen of said monitor is operated based on input operation by said first input means, and said manipulator that is located on the right side on said screen of said monitor is operated based on input operation by said second input means.