ASSISTANT ROBOT FOR SPINE SURGERY

Abstract

The present invention relates to an assistant robot for spine surgery, including: a surgical tool support provided with a rotating body to which the surgical tool is penetratingly coupled; a handle provided at one side of the surgical tool support; a driving member configured to rotate the rotating body; and a linear guide provided at the other side of the surgical tool support so as to move the surgical tool forward and backward. Accordingly, the surgical tool can smoothly move without vibration when moving forward and backward, and can be automatically rotated with uniform force so as to enable sophisticated surgery.

Claims

1. An assistant robot for spine surgery for guiding a surgical tool, comprising: a surgical tool support provided with a rotating body to which the surgical tool is penetratingly coupled; a handle provided at one side of the surgical tool support; a driving member configured to rotate the rotating body; and a linear guide provided at the other side of the surgical tool support so as to move the surgical tool forward and backward.

2. The assistant robot of claim 1, wherein the driving member includes a motor and a driving gear connected to the motor, and the rotating body includes a first pipe having a driven gear provided on an outer circumferential surface of the first pipe so as to mesh with the driving gear and a holder guide provided at one side of the first pipe, and a second pipe provided with a holder coupled to the holder guide, the surgical tool coupled to an interior of the second pipe, the second pipe configured to rotate together with the first pipe.

3. The assistant robot of claim 2, wherein the holder guide is formed in a ring shape and provided with insertion grooves formed in a periphery of the holder guide, and the holder is formed in a ring shape and provided with coupling projections inserted into the insertion grooves.

4. The assistant robot of claim 3, wherein the coupling projections and the insertion grooves are formed in an L-like shape.

5. The assistant robot of claim 2, wherein the driving member includes a first shaft connected to the motor and provided with a first gear, a second shaft provided with a second gear corresponding to the first gear and the driving gear and disposed parallel to the first shaft, and a belt configured to interconnect the first gear and the second gear.

6. The assistant robot of claim 1, wherein the linear guide includes a base plate provided with a guide rail formed on an upper surface of the base plate, a sliding block coupled to the guide rail so as to slide along the guide rail, and a guide bar coupled to the sliding block and configured to support the surgical tool support.

7. The assistant robot of claim 6, wherein the sliding block is provided with an engagement projection, and the base plate is provided with a hook elastically coupled to the engagement projection.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] FIG. 1 is a plane view showing a guide device for spine surgery of related art.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an assistant robot for spine surgery according to the present disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a region indicated by A in FIG. 2.

[0015] FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of a rotating body.

[0016] FIGS. 5A and 5B are side views of the rotating body, illustrating a process in which a holder and a holder guide are coupled.

[0017] FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating a state in which the holder and the holder guide are coupled.

[0018] FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a region indicated by B in FIG. 2.

[0019] FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the assistant robot for spine surgery according to the present disclosure is applied to a robot arm.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] An assistant robot for spine surgery according to the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] The present disclosure relates to an assistant robot for spine surgery. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an assistant robot for spine surgery according to the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a region indicated by A in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of a rotating body. FIGS. 5A and 5B are side views of the rotating body, illustrating a process in which a holder and a holder guide are coupled. FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating a state in which the holder and the holder guide are coupled.

[0022] The assistant robot for spine surgery according to the present disclosure includes: a surgical tool support 10 having a rotating body 12 to which a surgical tool T is penetratingly coupled; a handle 20 provided at one side of the surgical tool support 10; a driving member 30 for rotating the rotating body 12; and a linear guide 40 provided at the other side of the surgical tool support 10 so as to move the surgical tool T forward and backward.

[0023] Hereinafter, the respective components will be described in detail.

[0024] The surgical tool support 10 is a component for supporting the inserted surgical tool T. The rotating body 12 is positioned within the surgical tool support 10.

[0025] The rotating body 12 includes: a first pipe 14 having a driven gear 15 provided on the outer circumferential surface thereof so as to mesh with a driving gear 36 and a holder guide 16 provided at one side thereof; and a second pipe 18 provided with a holder 19 coupled to the holder guide 16, wherein the surgical tool T coupled to the interior of the second pipe 18 and the second pipe 18 configured to rotate together with the first pipe 14. The rotating body 12 is configured to fix the surgical tool T so that the surgical tool T can be rotated.

[0026] The first pipe 14 has a hollow pipe shape.

[0027] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the driven gear 15 is fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the first pipe 14. Accordingly, if a torque is transmitted from the below-described driving gear 36 to the driven gear 15 and if the driven gear 15 is rotated, the first pipe 14 is rotated together with the driven gear 15.

[0028] The holder guide 16 is formed in a ring shape and is fixed to one end side of the first pipe 14. Insertion grooves 16a are formed in the periphery of the holder guide 16.

[0029] The second pipe 18 has a hollow pipe shape just like the first pipe 14. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the second pipe 18 is positioned inside the first pipe 14 and is rotated together with the first pipe 14. The surgical tool T is inserted into the second pipe 18 and is firmly fixed to the second pipe 18 by a bolt.

[0030] The holder 19 is formed at one end of the second pipe 18, preferably in a portion corresponding to the holder guide 16. The holder 19 is coupled to and meshed with the holder guide 16. For this purpose, coupling projections 19a corresponding to the insertion grooves 16a are formed along the circumferential direction of the holder 19. As a result, the coupling projections 19a of the holder 19 are coupled to the insertion grooves 16a of the holder guide 16, whereby the first pipe 14 is rotated together with the first pipe 14.

[0031] If necessary, the surgical tool T may be fixed to the inside of the holder 19 without the second pipe 18.

[0032] In the meantime, as illustrated in FIGS. 5A, 5B and 6, the insertion grooves 16a and the coupling projections 19a may be formed in an L-like shape. This is to make sure that the second pipe 18 does not linearly move after the second pipe 18 is coupled to the first pipe 14. Specifically, in the state illustrated in FIG. 5A, if the holder 19 is rotated at a predetermined angle after the coupling projections 19a are inserted into the insertion grooves 16a as illustrated in FIG. 5B, the bent portions 19b of the coupling projections 19a are inserted into the recessed portions 16b of the insertion grooves 16a. Thus, the surgical tool T is not removed backward.

[0033] The handle 20 is a component installed at one side of the surgical tool support 10 and used for an operator to arbitrarily move the assistant robot for spine surgery according to the present disclosure. It is preferred that the handle 20 is formed in an outwardly-bent shape in order to broaden the internal space in which the surgical tool T is positioned.

[0034] The driving member 30 is a component connected to the surgical tool support 10 and configured to rotate the rotating body 12. The driving member 30 includes: a motor 31; and a driving gear 36 connected to the motor 31.

[0035] The motor 31 is a driving power source connected to the surgical tool support 10 and configured to supply a torque to the surgical tool T. If necessary, the motor 31 may be installed within the handle 20 or may be installed within a below-described guide bar 48, thereby enhancing the space use efficiency.

[0036] The driving gear 36 is meshed with the driven gear 15 of the surgical tool support 10 and is configured to transmit the torque of the motor 31 to the surgical tool T.

[0037] In the meantime, the assistant robot for spine surgery according to the present disclosure may further include a speed reducer disposed between the motor 31 and the driving gear 36 to accurately adjust the rotation of surgical tool T. The speed reducer includes: a first shaft 32 connected to the motor 31 and provided with a first gear 33; a second shaft 34 provided with a second gear 35 corresponding to the first gear 33 and the driving gear 36, and disposed parallel to the first shaft 32; and a belt 38 configured to interconnect the first gear 33 and the second gear 35.

[0038] The first shaft 32 is connected to the motor 31 and is rotated in response to the operation of the motor 31. Further, the first gear 33 is fixed to the first shaft 32 and is rotated together with the first shaft 32.

[0039] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the second shaft 34 is disposed parallel to the first shaft 32. The second gear 35 is fixed and installed to the position facing with the first gear 33 of the second shaft 34. The belt 38 is connected to the first gear 33 and the second gear 35 so that the torque of the first gear 33 is transmitted to the second gear 35. In this regard, the belt 38 serves to efficiently increase the distance between the first shaft 32 and the second shaft 34. Specifically, in order to achieve such an effect without the belt 38, it is necessary to further install an intermediate gear. There is a problem in that this structure becomes complex and the power loss occurs. The present disclosure minimizes the aforementioned problem by installing the belt 38 between the first gear 33 and the second gear 35.

[0040] If necessary, teeth such as racks or the like may be formed on the inner surface of the belt 38, or an idler (not shown) may be installed midway of the belt 38, thereby increasing the contact force of the belt 38 with the gears.

[0041] The driving gear 36 is installed in the second shaft 34 in a position where the driving gear 36 meshes with the driven gear 15. The driving gear 36 is configured to transmit the torque of the motor 31 to the driven gear 15. The driven gear 15 and the driving gear 36 may be formed of helical gears. This makes it possible to minimize a gear friction noise otherwise generated during surgery and to enable sophisticated control.

[0042] On the other hand, in the assistant robot for spine surgery according to the present disclosure, the surgical tool T may be automatically rotated by the driving member 30. However, if necessary, an operator may manually rotate the surgical tool T using a handle T1 of the surgical tool T.

[0043] FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a region indicated by B in FIG. 2.

[0044] The linear guide 40 is a component installed in the surgical tool support 10 to provide one degree of freedom to the surgical tool support 10. Specifically, the linear guide 40 is configured to move the surgical tool support 10 forward and backward.

[0045] The linear guide 40 includes: a base plate 42 provided with a guide rail 43 formed on an upper surface thereof; a sliding block 45 coupled to the guide rail 43 so as to slide along the guide rail 43; and a guide bar 48 coupled to the sliding block 45 and configured to support the surgical tool support 10.

[0046] The base plate 42 is a stand that forms a base of the linear guide 40. The base plate 42 includes a front end portion 42a which protrudes upward so that the below-described sliding block 45 is not disassembled.

[0047] The guide rail 43 is installed on the upper surface of the base plate 42 and is formed to extend along the longitudinal direction of the base plate 42. From the viewpoint of stability, it is advantageous to be provided a pair of guide rails rather than the single guide rail 43. Further, grooves 43a are formed on the opposite side surfaces of the guide rail 43.

[0048] A hook 44 is installed at the rear side of the upper portion of the base plate 42. Referring to FIG. 7, the hook 44 is coupled to the base plate 42 by a shaft in the same manner as a lever. An elastic member such as a torsion spring or the like is coupled to the shaft, and thereby the hook 44 may be elastically operated. The hook 44 includes an inclined surface 44a formed at the tip thereof.

[0049] The sliding block 45 is formed in conformity with the shape of the grooves 43a of the guide rail 43. The sliding block 45 is coupled to the guide rail 43 and is linearly moved along the guide rail 43.

[0050] An engagement projection 47 having an inclined surface 47a formed at the tip thereof so as to correspond to the shape of the hook 44 is formed at the rear side of the sliding block 45. Thus, if the sliding block 45 reaches the rear end of the guide rail 43 while the sliding block 45 moves forward and backward along the guide rail 43, the inclined surface 47a of the engagement projection 47 makes contact with the inclined surface 44a of the hook 44 and lifts up the hook 44. Thereafter, the engagement projection 47 is brought into engagement with the hook 44. Accordingly, the assistant robot for spine surgery according to the present disclosure can prevent the surgical tool support 10, the handle 20 and the driving member 30 from being arbitrarily moved along the guide rail 43 by their own weights.

[0051] The guide bar 48 is connected at one end to the sliding block 45 and at the other end to the surgical tool support 10 so that the surgical tool support 10 and the sliding block 45 move together. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the driving member 30 may be installed within the guide bar 48.

[0052] FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the assistant robot for spine surgery according to the present disclosure is applied to a robot arm.

[0053] As illustrated in FIG. 8, the assistant robot for spine surgery 100 according to the present disclosure may be mounted to a robot arm 200 having multiple degree of freedom and may be moved to various positions. And a marker M is installed so as to trace the position of the assistant robot for spine surgery 100.

EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERAL

[0054] T: surgical tool, T1: surgical tool handle

[0055] 10: surgical tool support, 12: rotating body

[0056] 14: first pipe, 15: driven gear

[0057] 16: holder guide, 16a: insertion grooves

[0058] 18: second pipe, 19: holder

[0059] 19a: coupling projections, 20: handle

[0060] 30: driving member, 31: motor

[0061] 32: first shaft, 33: first gear

[0062] 34: second shaft, 35: second gear

[0063] 36: driving gear, 38: belt

[0064] 40: linear guide, 42: base plate

[0065] 43: guide rail, 44: hook

[0066] 44a & 47a: inclined surface, 45: sliding block

[0067] 47: engagement projection, 48: guide bar

[0068] 100: assistant robot for spine surgery, 200: robot arm