SUPPORT ARM SYSTEM WITH AT LEAST ONE LOCKABLE ARTICULATED CONNECTION AND METHOD FOR OPERATING SUCH A SUPPORT ARM SYSTEM

Abstract

A support arm system (10) has at least one lockable articulated connection (16). A locking device (20) is associated with the articulated connection (16). The locking device (20) includes a passive drive (32) as well as an actuating device (36) associated with the locking device (20) with an active drive (38). The active drive (38) acts in the same plane as the passive drive (32).

Claims

1. A support arm system comprising at least one lockable articulated connection, the articulated connection comprising a locking device associated with the articulated connection, the locking device comprising: a passive drive; and an actuating device associated with the locking device, the actuating device comprising an active drive, wherein the active drive acts in a same plane as the passive drive.

2. A support arm system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the locking device further comprises at least one brake shoe lever and wherein the active drive acts directly on the at least one brake shoe lever.

3. A support arm system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the passive drive and the active drive act along a common axis.

4. A support arm system in accordance with claim 1, wherein: the locking device further comprises at least one brake shoe lever; and the active drive comprises at least one electromagnet associated with a free end of the brake shoe lever and the at least one electromagnet acts as the active drive.

5. A support arm system in accordance with claim 4, wherein the passive drive comprises a compression spring acting as the passive drive and the compression spring concentrically surrounds a core of the electromagnet, acting as the active drive, in some sections.

6. A support arm system in accordance with claim 1, wherein: the locking device further comprises at least one brake shoe lever; and the passive drive comprises at least one compression spring associated with a free end of a brake shoe lever and the least one compression spring acts as the passive drive.

7. A support arm system in accordance with claim 6, wherein: the active drive comprises at least one electromagnet associated with a free end of the brake shoe lever and the at least one electromagnet acts as the active drive; and the compression spring, acting as the passive drive, concentrically surrounds a core of the electromagnet, acting as the active drive, in some sections.

8. A support arm system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the locking device further comprises two brake shoe levers with brake linings facing one another, wherein the active drive comprises a first active drive acting on one of the two brake shoe levers and a second active drive acting on another of the two brake shoe levers.

9. A medical device system comprising; a medical device; and a support arm system connected to the medical device, the support arm system comprising a first arm segment, a second arm segment and an articulated connection connecting the first arm segment to the second arm segment, the articulated connection comprising a locking device associated with the articulated connection, the locking device comprising: a passive drive; and an actuating device associated with the locking device, the actuating device comprising an active drive, wherein the active drive acts in a same plane as the passive drive.

10. A medical device system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the locking device further comprises at least one brake shoe lever and wherein the active drive acts directly on the at least one brake shoe lever.

11. A medical device system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the passive drive and the active drive act along a common axis.

12. A medical device system in accordance with claim 9, wherein: the locking device further comprises at least one brake shoe lever; and the active drive comprises at least one electromagnet associated with a free end of the brake shoe lever and the at least one electromagnet acts as the active drive.

13. A medical device system in accordance with claim 12, wherein the passive drive comprises a compression spring acting as the passive drive and the compression spring concentrically surrounds a core of the electromagnet acting, as the active drive, in some sections.

14. A medical device system in accordance with claim 9, wherein: the locking device further comprises at least one brake shoe lever; and the passive drive comprises at least one compression spring associated with a free end of a brake shoe lever and the least one compression spring acts as the passive drive.

15. A medical device system in accordance with claim 14, wherein: the active drive comprises at least one electromagnet associated with a free end of the brake shoe lever and the at least one electromagnet acts as the active drive; and the compression spring, acting as the passive drive, concentrically surrounds a core of the electromagnet, acting as the active drive, in some sections.

16. A medical device system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the locking device further comprises two brake shoe levers with brake linings facing one another, wherein the active drive comprises a first active drive acting on one of the two brake shoe levers and a second active drive acting on another of the two brake shoe levers.

17. A method for operating a support arm system comprising providing the support arm system with at least one lockable articulated connection, the articulated connection comprising a locking device associated with the articulated connection, the locking device comprising a passive drive and an actuating device associated with the locking device, the actuating device comprising an active drive, wherein the active drive acts in a same plane as the passive drive; providing an operating element for actuating a circuit component; generating a control signal upon actuation of the operating element for actuating the circuit component wherein the active drive of the actuating device is activated by the circuit component.

18. A method in accordance with claim 17, wherein: a control unit generates the control signal for actuating the circuit component; an input signal is processed by the control unit, which generates the control signal, upon the input signal being generated upon an actuation of the operating element.

19. A method in accordance with claim 18, wherein the support arm system comprises a plurality of lockable articulated connections and the control unit generates a plurality of control signals for a plurality of circuit components upon an input signal of precisely one operating element and wherein each circuit component from the plurality of circuit components activates the particular active drive of the actuating device of one of a plurality of articulated connections of the support arm system.

20. A method in accordance with claim 18, wherein: the locking device further comprises two brake shoe levers with brake linings facing one another; the active drive comprises a first active drive with an electromagnet associated with a free end of one of the two brake shoe levers and acting on one of the two brake shoe levers and a second active drive with an another electromagnet associated with a free end of another of the two brake shoe levers and acting on the other of the two brake shoe levers; and the passive drive comprises a first compression spring associated with the free end of the one of the brake shoe levers and a second compression spring associated with the free end of the other of the brake shoe levers.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In the drawings:

[0027] FIG. 1 is a detail side view of a support arm system;

[0028] FIG. 2 is a locking device for an articulated connection of the support arm system according to FIG. 1;

[0029] FIG. 3 is a detail perspective view of the support arm system;

[0030] FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the locking device shown in FIG. 2;

[0031] FIG. 5 is a block diagram to illustrate a control of a support arm system according to FIG. 1 through FIG. 4; and

[0032] FIG. 6 is a detail side view of a support arm system connected to a medical device, which is schematically shown.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0033] Referring to the drawings the view in FIG. 1 shows a detail of a support arm system 10 in a schematically simplified manner. The view shows an extension arm 12 fixed, for example, on a building wall and an arm segment 14 connected to the extension arm 12 in an articulated manner. A hinge 16 (articulated connection 16) located for this purpose between the extension arm 12 and the arm segment 14 allows a rotary motion of the arm segment 14 relative to the arm 12 in a horizontal plane. The detail of the support arm system 10 shown in FIG. 1 otherwise also corresponds to the conditions between two arm segments 14. The component designated as the extension arm 12 is in this case itself a rotarily movable arm segment 14.

[0034] The support arm system 10 may accordingly have one or more arm segments 14 depending on the embodiment or the particular application. Based on a fixed basic segment, for example, an extension arm 12 acting as a basic segment and arranged at a building wall horizontally or essentially horizontally, a kinematic chain is obtained along the arm segment or each arm segment 14 directly or indirectly connected to the arm segments, and a medical device or laboratory device 70 or another device, which can be freely positioned in the room by means of the support arm system 10 by means of the support arm system 10 in the usual manner, is located at the end of the kinematic chain, i.e., at the free end of the “last” arm segment 14.

[0035] Details of the hinge 16, by means of which the rotary movability of the arm segment 14 relative to an extension arm 12, a support or the like, which is located in front of it or relative to an arm segment 14 located in front of it, is achieved, will be discussed below only to the extent to which this is significant in connection with the lockability of the hinge 16, which lockability is in the foreground here. Possibilities of embodiment for embodying the hinge 16 are known in the state of the art. Reference can thus be made to the support arm system according to US 2011/303499 A1 mentioned in the introduction or to the current support arm systems of the applicant and to the hinges used there (US 2011/303499 A1 is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety).

[0036] The view in FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a device for locking an articulated connection 16 in a support arm system 10 of the type shown in FIG. 1, which device is also called locking device 20. The locking device 20 comprises a carrier 22 acting as a mounting platform. Two pivotingly movable brake shoe levers 24 are arranged on the carrier 22 in the embodiment shown. The pivoting movability is brought about in the embodiment shown by means of two bearing bolts 26 extending upright on the carrier 22, which define each a pivot axis for the brake shoe levers 24. The brake shoe levers 24 have brake linings 28 on inner surfaces facing each other in the manner known per se.

[0037] To lock the articulated connection 16, the brake shoe levers 24 are moved such that their brake linings 28 come into contact with a section of an outer surface of a pipe acting as an axis 30 (FIG. 3) of the hinge 16. At least one spring element 32 is provided for such a movement. Two spring elements 32 in the form of compression springs 34, which act on one of the brake shoe levers 24 each, are shown in the embodiment being shown. As an alternative, at least one tension spring acting at least indirectly on both brake shoe levers 24 may also be considered for use as a spring element 32. The spring element 32, or each spring element 32 acting as a passive drive 32, is intended to press the brake linings 28 of the brake shoe levers 24 onto the outer surface of the axis 30 and to lock the articulated connection 16 in this manner. The passive drive 32, especially the spring element 32 or each spring element 32 acting as a passive drive 32 thus applies within the locking device 20 a force, which will hereinafter be called holding force, to the brake shoe levers 24. The holding force acts in a plane extending at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the axis 30, i.e., in a plane extending at right angles to the axis of rotation of the respective arm segment 14. The articulated connection 16 is always locked without an additional force, which eliminates the locking function of the brake shoe levers 24. To eliminate the locking, an actuating device 36, which is comprised by the locking device 20 and which comprises at least one actuator 38 acting as an active drive 38, is provided. The distinction between the spring element 32 or each spring element acting as a passive drive 32, for example, two compression springs 34 or a tension spring, and the at least one actuator 38 acing as an active drive 38 shall emphasize the fact that the passive drive 32 is also effective without external signal and energy supply, so that locking of the articulated connection 16 is automatically obtained in case of failure of the power supply.

[0038] An actuator 38 each in the form of an electromagnet 40 is associated with each brake shoe lever 24 as an active drive 38 in the exemplary embodiment shown. In particular, a first actuator 38 is associated with a first brake shoe lever 24 and a second actuator 38 is associated with a second brake shoe lever 24. In case of activation of the electromagnets 40 acting as actuators 38, the brake shoe levers 24 are pivoted against the holding force, especially the spring force of the spring elements 32 (first and second spring elements), namely, they are pivoted such that the brake linings 28 are lifted off from the outer surface of the axis 30, so that the previously existing locking of the articulated connection 16 is eliminated. The actuator 38 or each actuator 38 consequently exerts a force counteracting the holding force within the locking device 20 on the brake shoe levers 24. This counteracting force is called releasing force for distinction. The releasing force acts in the same plane as the holding force, i.e., in a plane extending at right angles to the axis of rotation of the respective arm segment 14. As soon as the activation of the actuators 38 ends by means of a corresponding control signal 50 (FIG. 5) and the releasing force does not act any longer, the brake shoe levers 24 are again pressed onto the outer surface of the axis 30 based on the holding force, i.e., especially under the effect of the spring force of the spring elements 32, and the articulated connection 16 is locked again.

[0039] The actuation of the actuators 38 consequently takes place whenever an arm segment 14 shall be pivoted. When a respective desired target position of the arm segment 14 is reached subsequent to the pivoting, the activation of the actuators 38 is again ended and the previously movable articulated connection 16 is locked again.

[0040] The view in FIG. 3 shows the detail of the support arm system 10 from FIG. 1 in a perspective view and without the arm segment 14. The pipe acting as an axis 30 and defining the axis of rotation of the hinge 16 and of the adjoining arm segment 14 can be seen in this view. It can be seen based on the position of the carrier 22 that the arm segment 14, not shown, is at right angles to the extension arm 12 in this configuration.

[0041] The further description is continued with reference to the view in FIG. 4. This shows an enlarged detail of the view in FIG. 2, namely, one of the two electromagnets 40 and the end of the brake shoe lever 24, on which this acts. It can be better seen there than in the view shown in FIG. 2 that the compression spring 34 in the embodiment shown as an example surrounds in some sections a core 42 of the electromagnet 40, which core is movable relative to a coil of the electromagnet 40. The core 42 is axially movable, in principle, in a manner known per se in the interior of the cylindrical coil of the electromagnet 40, which coil is not shown separately, and, as this is indicated in the view shown in FIG. 4, a center line of the core 42 coincides or essentially coincides with a center line of the coil of the electromagnet 40. The core 42 and the cylinder jacket-shaped coil are arranged coaxially or essentially coaxially.

[0042] When the electromagnet 40 is energized, the core 42 is axially displaced relative to the stationary coil. The compression spring 34 surrounds the core 42 coaxially and is in contact on one side with an end face of the electromagnet 40 (on an end face of the coil thereof). A washer 44 arranged at the core 42 acts as an opposite abutment in the exemplary embodiment shown. The core 42 ends in a threaded rod section 46, to which the free end of the brake shoe lever 24 is attached by means of a fitting hole. Two fixing elements screwed onto the threaded rod section 46, here two nuts 48 screwed onto the threaded rod section 46, enclose this [section], together with a respective washer in the exemplary embodiment being shown, on both sides. The electromagnet 40 acting as an active drive 38 acts directly on the brake shoe lever 24 with this connection of the core 42 to the brake shoe lever 24. In the non-energized state of the electromagnet 40, the core 42 of said electromagnet is displaced by means of the spring force of the compression spring 34 relative to the coil of the electromagnet 40 and the brake shoe lever 24 is pivoted with this to the extent that the brake lining 28 will come into contact with the outer surface of the axis 30 and is pressed onto this. The respective articulated connection is locked by means of the resulting braking effect.

[0043] The core 42 is pulled against the spring force of the compression sprig 34 into the interior of the coil of the electromagnet 40 in the energized state, so that pivoting of the brake shoe lever 24 and, with the pivoting, a lifting off of the brake lining 28 from the outer surface of the axis 30 will result. Based on the fact that the braking effect is eliminated with the separation of the brake lining 28 from the outer surface of the axis 30, the articulated connection 16 is again freely movable.

[0044] As is shown, the locking device 20 may have two individually pivotingly movable brake shoe levers 24, a spring element 32 associated with each brake shoe lever 24 in the form of a compression spring 34 and an actuator 38 associated with each brake shoe lever 24. A locking device 20 which has only one pivotingly movable brake shoe lever 24 instead of two brake shoe levers 24 and correspondingly one spring element 32 associated herewith in the form of a compression spring 34 as well as an actuator 38 associated with the brake shoe lever 24 is also considered for use as an alternative. The configuration of the locking device 20 with a compression sprig 34 as a spring element 32 makes possible, unlike, for example, a tension spring acting on two brake shoe levers 24 arranged mutually opposite each other, both an arrangement of the brake shoe lever 24, spring element 32 and actuator 38 in pairs and an arrangement of these components as single components. The combination in space of the spring element 32 and the actuator 38, which is given in the embodiment being shown, and the effect of the respective holding or releasing force applied along a common axis (the axis is shown in the view shown in FIG. 3) guarantees, moreover, an extremely compact configuration compared to a solution in which the compression spring 34 is placed, to describe it briefly, next to the electromagnet 40 in a configuration fixed on one side and acting on the brake shoe lever 24 on the opposite side. All components of the passive and active drives 32, 38 are concentrated along a common axis of action. The action of the respective holding or releasing force applied along a common axis of action is a special form of the more general solution being proposed here, according to which the active drive 38 acts in the same plane as the passive drive 32.

[0045] The view in FIG. 1 already shows an embodiment of the actuating device 36 with electromagnets 40 as actuators 38 (recognizable from the cylindrical shape). These are arranged at the arm segment 14, which is movable by means of the articulated connection 16. The flat shape of the locking device 20 with the actuating device 36 comprised thereby, which shape is possible based on the action of the holding force and of the releasing force in the same plane, can be seen. The actuating device 36, in particular, may be surrounded by a housing, not shown here, in case of arrangement at the arm segment 14.

[0046] FIG. 5 shows a schematically simplified view to illustrate the actuation of the actuators 38 in an articulated connection 16 and optionally additional actuators 38 or one or more additional articulated connections 16 between additional arm segments 14. The actuator 38 or each actuator 38 is actuated by means of a control unit 52. The function of the control unit 52 is determined, for example, by a control program 54 implemented in software. The control program 54 is loaded into a memory of the control unit 52 and is executed during the operation by a processing unit in the form of or in the manner of a microprocessor. Instead of a control program 54 implemented in software or firmware with a processing unit necessary for executing same, implementation in the form of an ASIC, FPGA or the like is also possible.

[0047] During the operation of the support arm system 10, the control unit 52 processes at least one input signal 58, which can be obtained from at least one operating element 56. By actuating the operating element 56, a user of the support arm system 10 indicates the intent to which to change the position of at least one arm segment 14. The control unit 52 correspondingly generates a control signal 50 under the control of the control program 54 upon receipt of such an input signal 58. The control signal 50 acts on an electrically or electronically actuatable circuit component 60, which is shown in the view only symbolically. The activation of this circuit component brings about, for example, a through switching of a voltage supply unit to one or more actuators 38. In case of one or more electromagnets 40 acting as an actuator 38 each (likewise shown only symbolically in the view), the voltage over the coil comprised by it brings about the development of a magnetic field in a manner known per se, and the magnetic field brings about the deflection of a respective brake shoe lever 24 and hence the release of the locking of a respective articulated connection 16 of the support arm system 10.

[0048] As this is indicated as an example in the view shown in FIG. 5, provisions may be made for two actuators 38 belonging to an articulated connection 16 to be connected together in pairs such that an activation of an individual circuit component 60 brings about the simultaneous activation of respective actuators 38 that belong together in pairs.

[0049] Provisions may be made in one embodiment of the support arm system 10 for precisely two actuators 38 each to be able to be activated by means of an individual operating element 56, so that the locking of precisely one articulated connection 16 can be temporarily eliminated by means of the respective operating element 56. A corresponding plurality of operating elements 56 are accordingly provided in a support arm system 10 with a plurality of lockable articulated connections 16, so that the control unit 52 processes a corresponding plurality of input signals 58 and generates upon one respective input signal 58 a control signal 50 for activating the respective actuators 38, especially two actuators 38 each, which are connected together in pairs and belong to the same articulated connection 16. The locking of each articulated connection 16 can then be released individually and re-established when a respective desired target position is reached. As an alternative, a plurality of control signals 50 may also be generated in a support arm system 10 with a plurality of lockable articulated connections 16 by means of precisely one operating element 56 and based on an input signal 58 which can be obtained from said operating element by means of the control unit 52 and under the control of the control program 54, so that locking of a plurality of articulated connections 16 or of all the articulated connections 16 comprised by the support arm system 10 can be released simultaneously and re-established when a desired target position of the support arm system 10 is reached. Provisions may be made in a special embodiment of the support arm system 10 for the support arm system to comprise one or more operating elements 56 for releasing the locking of precisely one respective articulated connection 16 and one or more operating elements 56 for simultaneously releasing a plurality of or all articulated connections 16 of the support arm system 10. The above explanations correspondingly apply to articulated connections 16 in which only one brake lever 24 is provided for locking, so that the actuation of one actuator 38 each is sufficient for releasing the locking.

[0050] Individual essential aspects of the description presented here can finally be briefly summarized as follows: A support arm system 10 as well as a method for operating same are described, wherein the support arm system 10 comprises at least one lockable articulated connection 16, a locking device 20 associated with the articulated connection 16 with a passive drive 32 as well as an actuating device 36 associated with the locking device 20 with an active drive 38, and wherein the active drive 38 acts in the same plane as the passive drive 32.

[0051] While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.