JP2011062784A - Remote control type actuator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote control type actuator which changes a position of a grip tool provided at an end of an elongated guide part, by a remote control, has a remote control mechanism with a relatively simple structure, and is applicable for guide parts with various form. <P>SOLUTION: The remote control type actuator is equipped with: the guide part 3 having an elongated form; an end member 2 attached to the end thereof so as to freely change the position; an opening and closing type grip tool 1 provided in the end member 2; a rotating member 13 provided in the end member 2 so as to be rotatable; and a rotation to opening and closing converting mechanism 14 for converting a rotating operation of the rotating member 13 to an opening and closing operation of the grip tool 1. The guide part 3 has therein: a rotating shaft 22 for transmitting a rotation to the rotating member 13; and a guide hole 30a passing through both ends. A position operating member 31 the end of which comes into contact with the end member 2 and which moves forward and backward so as to change the position of the end member 2, is inserted into the guide hole 30a freely movable forward and backward in the guide hole 30a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote operation type actuator that is used for medical purposes and can remotely open and close and change the posture of an open / close gripper.

  In endoscopic surgery, a plurality of small holes are made in the patient's body surface, and treatment is performed by inserting an endoscope, a surgical instrument, etc. through a cylindrical trocar attached to these holes. One of the surgical instruments used in this endoscopic surgical operation is a grasping surgical instrument in which a hook-shaped open / close gripper is provided at the tip of an elongated cylindrical guide part. The grasping surgical instrument grasps blood vessels, nerves, affected tissue and the like with a grasping tool, and can be remotely operated by hand to open and close the grasping tool (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). The thing of patent document 1 can perform the attitude | position change operation | movement of the biaxial direction of a holding | gripping tool, and the rotation operation | movement around a central axis other than the opening / closing operation | movement of a holding | gripping tool manually. The thing of patent document 2 can perform the attitude | position change operation | movement of the biaxial direction of a holding tool other than the opening / closing operation | movement of a holding tool by using a motor etc. as a power source.

JP 2004-154164 A JP 2005-169011 A

  The conventional surgical instrument for grasping can bend the grasping tool with respect to the guide portion, but the guide portion itself is limited to a straight one. This is because a shaft and a link for various operations of the gripping tool are inserted into the inside of the guide portion, and thus it is necessary to keep the guide portion straight structurally.

  However, in order to minimize the number of holes that can be drilled in the body surface, it may be better that the guide portion is not straight but curved. If the guide part is straight, the guide part may come into contact with a part other than the treatment part when treating the part away from the hole. If the guide part is curved, the part other than the treatment part Can be avoided. That is, when the guide portion is curved, the treatment range for one hole can be widened, rather than being straight.

  According to the present invention, the posture of the gripping tool provided at the tip of the elongated guide portion can be changed by remote operation, the remote operation mechanism has a relatively simple configuration, and the shape of the guide portion is not limited. A remotely operated actuator is provided.

  A remote operation type actuator according to the present invention includes an elongated guide part, a tip member attached to the tip of the guide part via a tip member connecting part so that the posture can be freely changed, and an open / close type provided on the tip member A gripping tool, a rotating member rotatably provided on the tip member, a rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism for converting a rotating operation of the rotating member into an opening / closing operation of the gripping tool, and applying a rotational force to the rotating member A gripping drive source; and a posture changing drive source for operating the posture of the tip member. The guide portion includes a rotation shaft that transmits the rotation of the gripping drive source to the rotation member, and guide holes that penetrate through both ends, and the tip moves forward and backward by contacting the tip member. A posture operation member for changing the posture of the tip member is inserted into the guide hole so as to be able to advance and retreat, and the posture operation member is moved forward and backward by the posture change drive source. As the posture operation member, a flexible material can be used.

  According to this configuration, when the rotating member is rotated via the rotation shaft by the gripping drive source, the rotation of the rotating member is converted into the opening / closing operation of the gripping tool by the rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism, and the gripping tool is opened / closed. . The gripping tool that opens and closes grips and releases the object to be gripped. Further, when the posture operation member is advanced and retracted by the posture change drive source, the tip of the posture operation member acts on the tip member, so that the posture can be freely changed via the tip member connecting portion at the tip of the guide portion. The leading end member changes its posture. Since the posture operation member is inserted into the guide hole, the posture operation member does not shift in the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction, and can always act properly on the tip member, and the posture change operation of the tip member Is done accurately. When the posture operation member has flexibility, the posture changing operation is reliably performed even when the guide portion is curved. The gripping drive source and the posture changing drive source are provided at positions away from the tip member, and the opening and closing of the gripper and the posture change of the tip member are performed by remote control.

In the present invention, the guide portion may have a curved portion.
By making the posture operation member flexible, it is possible to advance and retract within the guide hole even if there is a curved portion in the guide portion.

In the present invention, either one or both of the gripping drive source and the posture changing drive source may be provided in a drive unit housing to which a base end of the guide unit is coupled.
If either one or both of the gripping drive source and the posture change drive source are provided in the drive unit housing, the number of parts provided outside the drive unit housing is reduced and the configuration of the entire remote operation type actuator is simplified. it can.

The gripping drive source and the posture changing drive source may be provided outside the drive unit housing to which the proximal end of the guide unit is coupled.
If the gripping drive source and the posture changing drive source are provided outside the drive unit housing, the drive unit housing can be reduced in size. Therefore, the handleability when operating the remote control type actuator with the drive unit housing can be improved.

When both or one of the grip drive source and the posture change drive source is provided outside the drive unit housing to which the proximal end of the guide portion is coupled, the grip drive source and the posture change drive source It is preferable that the driving force of the driving source provided outside the driving unit housing is transmitted to the rotating shaft or the posture operation member with a flexible cable.
If the driving force of the drive source provided outside the drive unit housing is transmitted to the rotary shaft or the attitude control member with a flexible cable, the flexibility of the positional relationship between the drive source provided outside the drive unit housing and the drive unit housing The remote control type actuator is easy to operate.

In this invention, the tip member connecting portion has a spherical or cylindrical guide surface in which the guide portion on the guide portion side and the guided portion on the tip member side have a center of curvature located on the center line of the rotating member. When contacting with each other, it is preferable that the center of the connecting portion between the rotating member and the rotating shaft is at the same position as the center of curvature of the guide surface.
If the center of the joint between the rotating member and the rotating shaft is at the same position as the center of curvature of the guide surface, there will be no force applied to the rotating shaft by changing the posture of the tip member, so the tip member will change posture smoothly. it can.

In this invention, it is preferable to provide a motion amount detector for detecting the motion amount of the posture changing drive source, and to provide a posture detection means for detecting the posture of the tip member from the detection value of the motion amount detector.
According to this configuration, appropriate tip member posture control can be performed based on the detection result of the posture detection means.

In the present invention, when the gripping drive source is an electric actuator, it is preferable to provide gripping force detecting means for measuring the power supplied to the electric actuator and detecting the gripping force of the gripping tool.
According to this configuration, the gripping force of the gripping tool can be appropriately maintained by controlling the output of the gripping drive source based on the detection result of the gripping force detection means.

In the present invention, the guide portion may include an outer pipe serving as an outer shell of the guide portion, and the guide hole may be an inner diameter hole of a guide pipe provided in the outer pipe.
If it is this structure, a guide part can be made hollow and weight reduction can be achieved, protecting the inside of a guide part with an outer pipe.

In the above configuration, when a plurality of rolling bearings that rotatably support the rotating shaft are provided in the outer pipe, the outer diameter surfaces of the plurality of rolling bearings can be supported by the guide pipe.
By using the guide pipe to support the rolling bearing, the outer diameter surface of the rolling bearing can be supported without using an extra member.

When the rolling bearing that rotatably supports the rotating shaft in the guide portion is provided, a cooling unit that cools the rolling bearing with a coolant that passes through the inside of the outer pipe may be provided.
Rotating members such as rotating members and rotating shafts generate heat due to rotational friction. Accordingly, the rolling bearing is heated. If a cooling means is provided, a rolling bearing and other heat generating locations can be cooled with a coolant. If the coolant is allowed to pass through the outer pipe, there is no need to provide a separate coolant supply pipe, and the guide portion can be simplified and reduced in diameter.
Furthermore, the effect of lubricating the rolling bearing with the coolant is also obtained. If the cooling liquid is also used for lubrication of the rolling bearing, it is not necessary to use grease or the like generally used for the rolling bearing, and it is not necessary to provide a separate lubricating device.

The coolant is preferably water or physiological saline.
If the coolant is water or physiological saline, even when the tip member is inserted into the living body and operated, even if the coolant leaks outside the remote operation type actuator, there is little influence on the living body.

In the present invention, the gripping tool has a pair of gripping pieces that can be opened and closed in the radial direction, and the rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism is a gripping piece that guides both or one of the pair of gripping pieces in the radial direction. A guide member, a spirally grooved member that rotates integrally with the rotating member, and has a spiral groove whose center is located on the center line of the rotating member, and the gripping piece guide member guided in the radial direction. It can be set as the structure which consists of a protrusion provided in a holding piece and slidably engaging with the spiral groove. The rotating member and the spiral grooved member may be the same member formed integrally with each other.
According to this configuration, when the rotating member is rotated, the spiral grooved member integrated therewith rotates. The protrusion of the grip piece guided in the radial direction by the grip piece guide member is slidably engaged with the spiral groove of the spiral groove member. Therefore, with the rotation of the spiral grooved member, the protrusion of the grip piece moves along the spiral groove, and the diameter of the portion where the protrusion in the spiral groove is engaged changes. Since the movement of the gripping piece other than the radial direction is restricted by the gripping piece guide member, the gripping piece moves in the radial direction by the rotation of the spiral grooved member. Thereby, the relative distance in the radial direction of the pair of gripping pieces changes. That is, the pair of gripping pieces opens and closes.

Further, the gripping tool has a pair of gripping pieces that can be opened and closed in the radial direction, and the rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism is a gripping piece guide member that guides both or one of the pair of gripping pieces in the radial direction. A pinion whose center line is the same as that of the rotating member, and a rack that rotates integrally with the rotating member, and a rack that is provided integrally with the gripping piece guided in the radial direction by the gripping piece guide member and meshes with the pinion. It is good also as composition which becomes. The rotating member and the pinion may be the same member formed integrally with each other.
According to this configuration, when the rotating member is rotated, the pinion rotates integrally therewith. The pinion meshes with a rack provided integrally with a gripping piece guided in the radial direction by a gripping piece guide member. Therefore, the rack moves in a direction parallel to the radial direction as the pinion rotates. Thereby, the relative distance in the radial direction of the pair of gripping pieces changes. That is, the pair of gripping pieces opens and closes.

Further, the gripping tool has a pair of gripping pieces that can be opened / closed in the radial direction, and the rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism supports both or one of the pair of gripping pieces so as to be rotatable in the radial direction. The grip piece support member, the center line is the same as the rotation member, the worm rotating integrally with the rotation member, and the grip piece and the rotation center line integrally with the grip piece supported by the grip piece support member. It is good also as a structure comprised by the worm wheel which is made to correspond and meshes with the said worm. The rotating member and the worm may be the same member formed integrally with each other.
According to this configuration, when the rotating member is rotated, the worm rotates integrally therewith. The worm meshes with a worm wheel that is integral with a grip piece that is rotatably supported in the radial direction by a grip piece support member. Therefore, with the rotation of the worm, the worm wheel rotates about the rotation center line of the gripping piece, so that the gripping piece integral with the worm wheel also rotates. Thereby, the relative distance in the radial direction of the pair of gripping pieces changes. That is, the pair of gripping pieces opens and closes.

In this invention, it is preferable that the rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism is provided with a width suppressing means for mechanically suppressing the opening / closing width of the pair of gripping pieces.
By providing the width suppressing means for mechanically suppressing the opening / closing width of the pair of gripping pieces, it is possible to prevent the gripping tool from opening and closing beyond the specified operation range due to a failure or the like. Thereby, it is possible to eliminate damage to the patient with the gripping tool, and safety is improved.

In this invention, the tip member is attached to the tip of the guide portion so as to be rotatable around the center line of the rotation shaft, and the rotational resistance force at the contact portion generated between the tip member and the tip of the guide portion When rotation around the center line of the rotating shaft is restricted, the grip driving source causes the rotational force received by the rotating member by the rotation of the rotating shaft to exceed the force that prevents rotation by the rotational resistance force. By rotating the rotating shaft, the tip member can be rotated by the gripping drive source.
The rotational resistance force at the contact portion generated between the tip member and the tip of the guide portion is the friction resistance of the tip member connecting portion and the friction resistance between the posture operation member and the tip member. Normally, the rotation operation of the rotating member is converted into the opening / closing operation of the gripper by the rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism. However, if the rotation member is rotated while the rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism is out of function, the rotational force of the rotating member is reduced to the tip. When the rotational force is transmitted to the entire member and the rotational force exceeds the rotational resistance force, the tip member rotates around the center line of the rotational member. The function stop state of the rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism is, for example, if the rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism is provided with a width suppressing unit that mechanically suppresses the opening / closing width of the pair of gripping pieces. This can be realized by mechanically suppressing the opening / closing width of the pair of gripping pieces. In this case, it becomes possible to remotely rotate the tip member around the center line of the rotating member using only existing members.

  Since the remote operation type actuator of the present invention has the above-mentioned actions and effects, it is suitable for a surgical instrument used in, for example, endoscopic surgery.

  The remote control type actuator according to the present invention includes an elongated guide portion, a tip member attached to the tip of the guide portion via a tip member connecting portion so that the posture can be freely changed, and an open / close type provided on the tip member. A gripping tool, a rotating member that is rotatably provided on the tip member, a rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism that converts a rotating operation of the rotating member into an opening / closing operation of the gripping tool, and a grip that applies a rotational force to the rotating member A driving source for driving and a driving source for changing the posture for operating the posture of the tip member, and the guide portion includes a rotating shaft for transmitting the rotation of the driving source for gripping to the rotating member, and a guide penetrating both ends. A posture operation member that has a hole in its inside and that moves forward and backward to move the tip member by moving forward and backward while the tip is in contact with the tip member. The posture operation member is inserted into the guide hole so as to freely move forward and backward. Change In order to move forward and backward with the drive source, the posture of the gripping tool provided at the tip of the elongated guide portion can be changed by remote control, the remote control mechanism has a relatively simple configuration, and the guide Any shape.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the remote control type actuator concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the remote control type actuator concerning different embodiment of this invention. (A) is a cutaway side view of the tip member and guide portion of the remote control type actuator shown in FIG. 1, (B) is a front view thereof, and (C) is a sectional view thereof taken along IIIC-IIIC. (A) is a side view of a grip piece of the remote control type actuator, and (B) is a plan view thereof. It is a front view of the rotating member of the remote control type actuator. It is a figure which shows the connection structure of the front-end | tip member and rotating shaft of the remote control type actuator. (A) is the figure which combined and displayed the control system in the fracture | rupture sectional view of the drive mechanism for grip and the drive mechanism for attitude change of the remote control type actuator, and (B) is the VIIB-VIIB sectional view. (A) is a cutaway side view of a tip member and a guide part of a remote operation type actuator having different gripping mechanism configurations, (B) is a front view thereof, and (C) is a sectional view taken along the line VIIIC-VIIIC. (A) is a cutaway side view of a tip member and a guide part of a remote control type actuator having a different gripping mechanism configuration, (B) is a front view thereof, and (C) is a sectional view of IXC-IXC. It is a figure which shows schematic structure at the time of providing a cooling means in the remote control type actuator shown in FIG. (A) is a cutaway side view of a tip member and a guide part of a remote control type actuator with different internal structures of the guide part, (B) is a front view thereof, and (C) is a XIC-XIC sectional view thereof. (A) is a front side view of the tip member and guide part of a remote control type actuator in which the internal structure of the guide part is further different, (B) is a front view thereof, and (C) is a XIIC-XIIC sectional view thereof. (A) is a front view of a distal end member and a guide part of a remote control type actuator having a further different internal structure of the guide part, (B) is a front view thereof, and (C) is a sectional view taken along line XIIIC-XIIIC. (A) is a cutaway side view of the gripping drive mechanism and the attitude changing drive mechanism of the remote control type actuator shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, and (B) is a sectional view of the XIVB-XIVB. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the remote control type actuator concerning further different embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the drive mechanism for holding | grip of the remote control type actuator, and the drive mechanism for attitude | position change. It is sectional drawing of the cable for holding | grip of the drive mechanism for said holding | grip. It is sectional drawing of the cable for attitude | position change of the drive mechanism for the attitude | position change.

  FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of a remotely operated actuator according to different embodiments of the present invention. In these drawings, each remote control type actuator includes a tip member 2 for holding an openable / closable gripping tool 1, an elongated guide portion 3 with the tip member 2 attached to the tip so that the posture can be freely changed, and the guide. The drive unit housing 4a to which the base end of the unit 3 is coupled, and a controller 5 that controls the gripping drive mechanism 4b and the posture change drive mechanism 4c in the drive unit housing 4a are provided. The drive unit housing 4a constitutes the drive unit 4 together with the built-in gripping drive mechanism 4b and the posture changing drive mechanism 4c.

  The internal structure of the tip member 2 and the guide part 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 shows the remote control type actuator of FIG. 1, but the tip member can be used even when the guide portion 3 has a straight shape as shown in FIG. 1 or when the guide portion 3 has a curved shape as shown in FIG. 2. The internal structures of 2 and the guide part 3 are basically the same.

  The tip member 2 has a substantially cylindrical housing 11, and a rotating member 13 is rotatably supported by a rolling bearing 12 inside the housing 11. The gripping tool 1 is provided on the distal end side of the rotating member 13 via the rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism 14. The gripping tool 1 and the rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism 14 constitute a gripping means 80A.

  The gripping tool 1 has a pair of gripping pieces 81 that can be opened and closed in the radial direction. Each gripping piece 81 is guided in a radial direction along a guide groove 82 a of a gripping piece guide member 82 provided on the inner periphery of the distal end portion of the housing 11. The grip piece guide member 82 is fixed to the housing 11 of the tip member 2 by, for example, press-fitting or welding. As shown in FIG. 4, the gripping piece 81 is provided with an overhanging portion 81b that protrudes on both sides in a direction intersecting the direction of the guide groove 82a at the base end of the main body portion 81a. By engaging with the back surface of the guide member 82, the gripping piece 81 is supported so as not to come off to the tip side.

  The rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism 14 includes the gripping piece guide member 82, the rotating member 13 as a spiral grooved member, and a protrusion 83 provided on the proximal end surface of the gripping piece 81. As shown in FIG. 5, a spiral groove 84 whose center is located on the center line CL of the rotating member 13 is formed as a cam groove for guiding the protrusion 83 on the distal end surface of the rotating member 13. A protrusion 83 of each gripping piece 81 is slidably engaged with the spiral groove 84. The spiral groove 84 in this example is left-handed when viewed from the front end side. In FIG. 5, for the sake of easy understanding, the portions that are the spiral grooves 84 are left white, and the portions other than the spiral grooves 84 are lattice-shaped hatched. A spiral grooved member (not shown) in which the spiral groove 84 is formed may be provided separately from the rotating member 13. In that case, the spiral grooved member rotates integrally with the rotating member 13.

  When the rotating member 13 is rotated by the gripping drive mechanism 4b, the protrusion 83 of the gripping piece 81 moves along the spiral groove 84, and the diameter of the portion of the spiral groove 84 where the protrusion 83 is engaged is the same. Change. Since the grip piece 81 is restrained from moving in a direction other than the radial direction by the grip piece guide member 82, the grip piece 81 moves in the radial direction by the rotation of the rotating member 13. Thereby, the relative distance in the radial direction of the pair of gripping pieces 81 changes. That is, the pair of gripping pieces 81 opens and closes. In the case of this example, the pair of gripping pieces 81 is opened when the rotating member 13 is rotated clockwise as viewed from the front end side, and the pair of gripping pieces 81 is closed when rotated counterclockwise.

  An inner diameter side stopper 85 and an outer diameter side stopper 86 for restricting the movement range of the projection 83 are provided in the vicinity of the inner diameter end and the outer diameter end of the spiral groove 84, respectively. The inner diameter side stopper 85 and the outer diameter side stopper 86 are, for example, pins protruding from the bottom of the spiral groove 84 to the tip side. Alternatively, the movement of the protrusion 83 may be restricted by reducing the depth of the spiral groove 84.

  Providing the inner diameter side stopper 85 and the outer diameter side stopper 86 restricts the movement of the projection 83 toward the inner diameter side and the outer diameter side of the stoppers 85 and 86. Thereby, the open / close width of the pair of gripping pieces 81 is suppressed. That is, the inner diameter side stopper 85 and the outer diameter side stopper 86 serve as width suppressing means for mechanically suppressing the opening / closing width of the pair of gripping pieces 81.

  The gripping means 80A opens and closes the gripping tool 1 by moving the pair of gripping pieces 81 in the radial direction, but opens and closes the gripping tool 1 by moving only one gripping piece 81 in the radial direction. It is good also as a structure.

  The tip member 2 is attached to the tip of the guide portion 3 via the tip member connecting portion 15. The tip member connecting portion 15 is a means for supporting the tip member 2 so that the posture thereof can be freely changed, and includes a spherical bearing. Specifically, the distal end member connecting portion 15 is a guide composed of a guided portion 11 a formed of an inner diameter reduced portion at the proximal end of the housing 11 and a hook-shaped portion of a retaining member 21 fixed to the distal end of the guide portion 3. Part 21a. As shown in FIG. 3, the guide surfaces F <b> 1 and F <b> 2 that are in contact with each other 11 a and 21 a are spherical surfaces having a center of curvature O located on the center line CL of the rotating member 13 and having a smaller diameter toward the proximal end side. . As a result, the tip member 2 is prevented from being detached from the guide portion 3 and is supported so as to be freely changeable in posture. In this example, since the tip member 2 is configured to change the posture around the X axis passing through the center of curvature O, the guide surfaces F1 and F2 may be cylindrical surfaces having the X axis passing through the point O as the center line. .

  The guide portion 3 has a rotating shaft 22 that transmits the rotational force of the gripping drive source 41 (FIG. 7) in the drive portion housing 4 a to the rotating member 13. In this example, the rotating shaft 22 is a wire and can be elastically deformed to some extent. As the material of the wire, for example, metal, resin, glass fiber or the like is used. The wire may be a single wire or a stranded wire. As shown in FIG. 6, the rotating member 13 and the rotating shaft 22 are connected via a joint 23 such as a universal joint so that the rotation can be transmitted. The joint 23 includes a groove 13a provided at the closed base end of the rotating member 13, and a protrusion 22a provided at the distal end of the rotating shaft 22 and engaged with the groove 13a. The center of the connecting portion between the groove 13a and the protrusion 22a is at the same position as the center of curvature O of the guide surfaces F1 and F2.

  The guide portion 3 has an outer pipe 25 that is an outer shell of the guide portion 3, and the rotating shaft 22 is located at the center of the outer pipe 25. The rotating shaft 22 is rotatably supported by a plurality of rolling bearings 26 that are arranged apart from each other in the axial direction. Between each rolling bearing 26, spring elements 27A and 27B for generating a preload on the rolling bearing 26 are provided. The spring elements 27A and 27B are, for example, compression coil springs. There are an inner ring spring element 27A for generating a preload on the inner ring of the rolling bearing 26 and an outer ring spring element 27B for generating a preload on the outer ring, which are arranged alternately. The retaining member 21 is fixed to the pipe end portion 25a of the outer pipe 25 by a fixing pin 28, and rotatably supports the distal end portion of the rotary shaft 22 via a rolling bearing 29 at the distal end inner peripheral portion thereof. The pipe end portion 25a may be a separate member from the outer pipe 25 and may be joined by welding or the like.

  Between the inner diameter surface of the outer pipe 25 and the rotary shaft 22, one guide pipe 30 penetrating at both ends is provided, and the posture operation member 31 advances and retreats in the guide hole 30 a which is the inner diameter hole of the guide pipe 30. It is inserted freely. In this example, the posture operation member 31 includes a wire 31a and columnar pins 31b provided at both ends thereof. The distal end of the columnar pin 31b on the distal end member 2 side is spherical and is in contact with the proximal end surface of the housing 11 of the distal end member 2. The tip of the columnar pin 31b on the drive unit housing 4a side is also spherical, and is in contact with the side surface of the lever 43b (FIG. 7) described later.

  For example, a compression coil is provided between the proximal end surface of the housing 11 of the distal end member 2 and the distal end surface of the outer pipe 25 of the guide portion 3 at a position 180 degrees relative to the circumferential position where the posture operation member 31 is located. A restoring elastic member 32 made of a spring is provided. The restoring elastic member 32 acts to urge the tip member 2 toward a predetermined posture.

  In addition to the guide pipe 30, a plurality of reinforcing shafts 34 are arranged on the same pitch circle C as the guide pipe 30 between the inner diameter surface of the outer pipe 25 and the rotary shaft 22. These reinforcing shafts 34 are for ensuring the rigidity of the guide portion 3. The intervals between the guide pipe 30 and the reinforcing shaft 34 are equal. The guide pipe 30 and the reinforcing shaft 34 are in contact with the inner diameter surface of the outer pipe 25 and the outer diameter surface of the rolling bearing 26. Thereby, the outer diameter surface of the rolling bearing 26 is supported.

  FIG. 7 shows the gripping drive mechanism 4b and the posture changing drive mechanism 4c in the drive unit housing 4a. The gripping drive mechanism 4 b includes a gripping drive source 41 that is controlled by the controller 5. The gripping drive source 41 is an electric motor, for example, and its output shaft 41 a is coupled to the base end of the rotary shaft 22. The posture changing drive mechanism 4 c includes a posture changing drive source 42 controlled by the controller 5. The posture changing drive source 42 is, for example, an electric linear actuator, and the movement of the output rod 42 a that moves in the left-right direction in FIG. 7A is transmitted to the posture operating member 31 through the force transmission mechanism 43.

  The boost transmission mechanism 43 has a lever 43b that is rotatable around a support shaft 43a. The force of the output rod 42a acts on an action point P1 of the lever 43b that is long from the support shaft 43a. The force is applied to the posture operation member 31 at the force point P <b> 2 having a short distance, and the output of the posture changing drive source 42 is increased and transmitted to the posture operation member 31. If the boost transmission mechanism 43 is provided, a large force can be applied to the posture operation member 31 even with a linear actuator having a small output, and thus the linear actuator can be downsized. The rotary shaft 22 passes through an opening 44 formed in the lever 43b.

  The grip drive mechanism 4b is provided with a wattmeter 45 that detects the amount of power supplied to the grip drive source 41, which is an electric actuator. The detection value of the supplied wattmeter 45 is output to the gripping force detection means 46. The gripping force detection means 46 detects the gripping force of the gripping tool 1 based on the output of the wattmeter 45. The gripping force detection means 46 has relationship setting means (not shown) in which the relationship between the gripping force and the output signal of the wattmeter 45 is set by an arithmetic expression or a table, and the relationship is determined based on the input output signal. The gripping force is detected using setting means. A signal indicating the detected gripping force is sent to the controller 5. This gripping force detection means 46 may be provided in the controller 5 or may be provided in an external control device.

  The posture changing drive mechanism 4c is provided with an operation amount detector 47 for detecting the operation amount of the posture changing drive source 42. The detection value of the movement amount detector 47 is output to the posture detection means 48. The posture detection means 48 detects the tilt posture of the tip member 2 around the X axis (FIG. 3) based on the output of the movement amount detector 47. The posture detection means 48 has relationship setting means (not shown) in which the relationship between the tilt posture and the output signal of the operation amount detector 47 is set by an arithmetic expression or a table, and the relationship is determined from the input output signal. The tilting posture is detected using setting means. A signal indicating the detected tilt posture is sent to the controller 5. This posture detection means 48 may be provided in the controller 5 or may be provided in an external control device.

  The controller 5 includes a gripping operation tool 5a (FIGS. 1 and 2) for outputting an opening / closing command signal for the gripping tool 1 and a posture changing operation tool 5b (FIG. 1, for outputting a posture change command signal for the tip member 2). 2). The controller 5 incorporates an electronic arithmetic circuit (not shown) and a control program (not shown), command signals from the gripping operation tool 5a and the posture changing operation tool 5b, and the gripping force detection means 46. Based on the detection signal from the posture detection means 48, the gripping drive source 41 and the posture change drive source 42 are controlled.

The operation of this remote control type actuator will be described.
When the gripping operation tool 5 a is operated, the gripping drive source 41 is rotated, and the rotation is transmitted to the rotating member 13 through the rotating shaft 22. The rotation of the rotating member 13 is converted into an opening / closing operation of the gripping tool 1 by the rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism 14, so that the gripping tool 1 opens and closes. During this operation, the power supplied to the gripping drive source 41, which is an electric actuator, is measured by the power supply meter 45, and the gripping force detection means 46 detects the gripping force of the gripper 1 from the measured value. The controller 5 controls the output of the gripping drive source 41 based on the magnitude of the detected gripping force. For example, when the gripping force is too large, the output of the gripping drive source 41 is decreased. Conversely, when the gripping force is too small, the output of the gripping drive source 41 is increased. Thereby, the gripping force of the gripping tool 1 can be kept appropriate.

  Further, when the posture changing operation tool 5 b is operated, the posture operating member 31 is advanced or retracted by the posture changing drive source 42, and the tip of the posture operating member 31 acts on the tip member 2. As a result, the tip member 2 attached to the tip of the guide portion 3 via the tip member connecting portion 15 so as to change the posture is changed in posture. For example, when the posture operating member 31 is advanced to the distal end side by the posture changing drive source 42, the housing 11 of the distal end member 2 is pushed by the posture operating member 31, and the distal end member 2 is directed downward in FIG. The posture is changed along the guide surfaces F1 and F2 toward the side. On the other hand, when the posture operation member 31 is retracted by the posture changing drive source 42, the housing 11 of the tip member 2 is pushed back by the elastic repulsive force of the restoring elastic member 32, and the tip member 2 is shown in FIG. The posture is changed along the guide surfaces F1 and F2 to the side facing upward. At that time, the pressure of the posture operation member 31, the elastic repulsive force of the restoring elastic member 32, and the reaction force from the retaining member 21 act on the tip member connecting portion 15, and the balance of these acting forces The posture of the tip member 2 is determined. The posture of the tip member 2 is detected by the posture detection means 48 from the detection value of the movement amount detector 47. Therefore, the posture of the tip member 2 can be appropriately controlled by remote operation.

  Since the posture operation member 31 is inserted through the guide hole 30a, the posture operation member 31 does not shift in the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction, and can always act properly on the tip member 2, and the tip member 2 posture change operation is performed accurately. Since most of the posture operation member 31 is made of a flexible wire 31a, the posture changing operation is reliably performed even when the guide portion 3 is curved as shown in FIG. Furthermore, since the center of the connecting portion between the rotating member 13 and the rotating shaft 22 is at the same position as the center of curvature O of the guide surfaces F1 and F2, the force that pushes and pulls the rotating shaft 22 by changing the posture of the tip member 2 is increased. The posture of the tip member 2 can be changed smoothly.

  The gripping drive source 41 and the posture changing drive source 42 are provided at positions away from the tip member 2, and the opening and closing of the gripping tool 1 and the posture change of the tip member 2 are performed by remote control. The rotating shaft 22 that transmits the rotation of the gripping drive source 41 to the rotating member 13 and the attitude operating member 31 that transmits the advance / retreat operation of the attitude changing drive source 42 to the tip member 2 are all or most of the wire 31a. Therefore, the inside of the guide part 3 can be made into a simple structure. Thereby, the outer diameter of the guide part 3 can be reduced. Instead of providing the gripping drive source 41 and the posture changing drive source 42, the opening and closing of the gripping tool 1 and the posture change of the tip member 2 may be remotely operated manually.

  This remote operation type actuator is used, for example, as a surgical instrument for grasping in an endoscopic surgical operation, and the middle part of the guide part 3 is inserted into the patient's body during the operation. For this reason, if the posture of the tip member 2 can be changed by remote control as described above, the gripping tool 1 can always be held in an appropriate posture, and the gripping tool 1 can accurately grasp the object to be gripped, such as a blood vessel. It can be gripped.

  The elongated guide portion 3 needs to be provided with the rotating shaft 22 and the posture operation member 31 in a protected state. However, the rotating shaft 22 is provided at the center of the outer pipe 25, and the outer pipe 25 and the rotating shaft 22 are connected to each other. In the middle, the guide pipe 30 containing the posture operation member 31 and the reinforcing shaft 34 are arranged side by side in the circumferential direction, so that the rotary shaft 22 and the posture operation member 31 are protected and the interior is hollow. Rigidity can be ensured while reducing weight. Also, the overall balance is good.

  Since the outer diameter surface of the rolling bearing 26 that supports the rotating shaft 22 is supported by the guide pipe 30 and the reinforcing shaft 34, the outer diameter surface of the rolling bearing 26 can be supported without using extra members. Moreover, since the preload is applied to the rolling bearing 26 by the spring elements 27A and 27B, the rotating shaft 22 made of a wire can be rotated at a high speed. Therefore, the opening / closing operation | movement of the holding tool 1 can be performed rapidly. Since the spring elements 27A and 27B are provided between the adjacent rolling bearings 26, the spring elements 27A and 27B can be provided without increasing the diameter of the guide portion 3.

  In this embodiment, a gripping drive source 41 and a posture changing drive source 42 are provided in a common drive unit housing 4a. Therefore, the configuration of the entire remote operation type actuator can be simplified. Only one of the gripping drive source 41 and the posture changing drive source 42 may be provided in the drive unit housing 4a. Further, as will be described later, the gripping drive source 41 and the posture changing drive source 42 may be provided outside the drive unit housing 4a.

  FIG. 8 shows a different configuration of the gripping means. The gripping means 80B includes a gripping tool 1 having a pair of gripping pieces 81 that can be opened and closed in the radial direction, and a rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism 14 that converts the rotation of the rotating member 13 into an opening / closing operation of the gripping tool 1.

  A pair of gripping piece guide members 82 having guide grooves 82 a parallel to the arrangement direction of the pair of gripping pieces 81, which is the radial direction, are provided on the inner periphery of the distal end portion of the housing 11. The grip piece support member 82 is fixed to the housing 11 by welding, for example. The pair of gripping pieces 81 of the gripping tool 1 are each integrally provided with a base portion 81c extending from one side surface of the base end of the main body portion 81a in the arrangement direction, and a guide portion 81d formed on the outer surface of each base portion 81b. The pair of gripping piece guide members 82 are slidably engaged with the guide grooves 82a. As a result, the pair of gripping pieces 81 are guided in the radial direction, and supported so that the gripping pieces 81 do not come off to the distal end side.

  The rotating member 13 is formed as a pinion having teeth 88 on the outer periphery of the tip. The base portion 81c of the gripping piece 81 is formed as a rack having teeth 89 that mesh with the pinion teeth 88 on the inner surface. The rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism 14 includes the grip piece guide member 14, the rotation member 13 as a pinion, and a base portion 81c as a rack. A pinion (not shown) having teeth 88 on the outer periphery may be provided separately from the rotating member 13. In that case, the pinion rotates integrally with the rotating member 13. A rack (not shown) having teeth 89 on the inner surface may be provided separately from the gripping piece 81. In this case, the rack is guided in the arrangement direction integrally with the gripping piece 81.

  When the rotary member 13 is rotated by the gripping drive mechanism 4b, the gripping piece 81 moves in the alignment direction by the meshing of the teeth 88 and 89 of the pinion and rack. Thereby, the relative distance in the radial direction of the pair of gripping pieces 81 changes. That is, the pair of gripping pieces 81 opens and closes. In the case of this example, the pair of gripping pieces 81 are closed when the rotating member 13 is rotated clockwise as viewed from the front end side, and the pair of gripping pieces 81 is opened when rotated in the counterclockwise direction. In addition, it is good also as a structure which opens and closes the holding | gripping tool 1 by moving only any one holding piece 81 to radial direction.

  FIG. 9 shows a further different configuration of the gripping means. The gripping means 80 </ b> C includes a gripping tool 1 having a pair of gripping pieces 81 that can be opened and closed in the radial direction, and a rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism 14 that converts the rotation of the rotating member 13 into an opening / closing operation of the gripping tool 1.

  The pair of gripping pieces 81 of the gripping tool 1 have base portions 81e that are rotatably supported by the respective rotation center shafts 90 that are parallel to each other, so that the distal end side opens and closes in the radial direction. The rotation center shaft 90 is provided between a pair of gripping piece support members 82 provided on the inner periphery of the distal end portion of the housing 11, and is parallel to a straight line perpendicular to the center line CL of the distal end member 2. The gripping piece support member 82 is fixed to the housing 11 by welding, for example.

  The rotating member 13 is formed as a worm having teeth 91 on the outer periphery of the tip portion. Further, the base 81 e of the gripping piece 81 is formed as a worm wheel having teeth 92 that mesh with the teeth 91 on an arc-shaped outer peripheral surface centering on the rotation center axis 90. The rotation / open / close conversion mechanism 14 includes the grip piece guide member 82, the rotation member 13 as a worm, and a base 81e as a worm wheel. A worm (not shown) having teeth 91 on the outer periphery may be provided separately from the rotating member 13. In this case, it is assumed that the worm rotates integrally with the rotating member 13. In addition, a worm wheel (not shown) having teeth 92 on the outer peripheral surface may be provided separately from the gripping piece 81. In this case, it is assumed that the worm wheel rotates integrally with the gripping piece 81.

  When the rotary member 13 is rotated by the grip drive mechanism 4b, the grip piece 81 rotates about the rotation center axis 90 due to the meshing of the teeth 91 and 92 of the worm and the worm wheel. Thereby, the relative distance in the radial direction of the pair of gripping pieces 81 changes. That is, the pair of gripping pieces 81 opens and closes. In this example, the orientation of the worm teeth 91 is not displayed. For example, when the rotary member 13 is rotated clockwise as viewed from the distal end side, the pair of gripping pieces 81 are closed, and when rotated counterclockwise, The gripping piece 81 is opened. In addition, it is good also as a structure which opens and closes the holding | gripping tool 1 by rotating only any one holding piece 81. FIG.

  This remote control type actuator utilizes the fact that the guide part 3 is hollow, and the cooling means 50 for cooling the guide part 3 and the rolling bearings 26 and 12 (FIG. 3 etc.) in the tip member 2 is shown in FIG. Can be provided. That is, the cooling means 50 includes a cooling liquid supply device 51 provided outside the remote operation type actuator, and a cooling liquid circulation in which the cooling liquid supplied from the cooling liquid supply device 51 circulates in the guide portion 3 and the tip member 2. And a tube 52. The coolant circulation pipe 52 includes an outer portion 52a from the coolant supply device 51 to the guide portion 3, and an inner portion 52b that passes through the guide portion 3 and the inside of the tip member 2, and in the inner portion 52b, the guide portion 3 The outer pipe 25 (FIG. 3 etc.) and the housing 11 (FIG. 3 etc.) of the tip member 2 are the coolant circulation pipe 52.

  If such a cooling means 50 is provided, it is possible to cool the rolling bearings 26 and 12 that are the heat generating portions with the coolant. Since the coolant is allowed to pass through the outer pipe 25, there is no need to separately provide a cooling circulation pipe, and the guide portion 3 can be simplified and reduced in diameter. Further, the coolant may be used for lubricating the rolling bearings 26 and 12. By doing so, it is not necessary to use grease or the like generally used for bearings, and it is not necessary to provide a separate lubricating device.

  The cooling liquid is preferably water or physiological saline. If the coolant is water or physiological saline, there is little influence on the living body even if the coolant leaks outside the remote control actuator when the tip member 2 is inserted into the living body and operated. is there. When the coolant is water or physiological saline, it is desirable that the material of the parts in contact with the coolant is stainless steel having excellent corrosion resistance. Other parts constituting the remote control type actuator may also be made of stainless steel.

  FIG. 11 shows an embodiment in which the mechanism for changing the posture of the tip member 2 is different. The gripping tool 1 and the tip member 2 have the same configuration as the embodiment of FIGS. The remote control type actuator of FIG. 11 is provided with two guide pipes 30 at circumferential positions in the outer pipe 25 that are 180 degrees in phase with each other, and in the guide hole 30 a that is an inner diameter hole of the guide pipe 30. The posture operation member 31 is inserted in such a manner as to freely advance and retract. Between the two guide pipes 30, a plurality of reinforcing shafts 34 are arranged on the same pitch circle C as the guide pipe 30. The restoring elastic member 32 is not provided. The guide surfaces F1 and F2 are spherical surfaces whose center of curvature is the point O, or cylindrical surfaces whose center line is the X axis passing through the point O.

  The drive unit 4 (not shown) is provided with two posture change drive sources 42 (not shown) for individually moving the two posture operation members 31 forward and backward, and these two posture change drives. The posture of the tip member 2 is changed by driving the sources 42 in opposite directions. For example, when the upper posture operation member 31 in FIG. 11 is advanced to the distal end side and the lower posture operation member 31 is retracted, the housing 11 of the distal end member 2 is pushed by the upper posture operation member 31. The posture of the tip member 2 is changed along the guide surfaces F1 and F2 to the side where the tip side faces downward in FIG. Conversely, when both posture operation members 31 are moved back and forth, the housing 11 of the tip member 2 is pushed by the lower posture operation member 31, and the tip member 2 is directed upward in FIG. 11A. The posture is changed along the guide surfaces F1 and F2 to the side. At that time, the pressure of the two upper and lower posture operating members 31 and the reaction force from the retaining member 21 are acting on the tip member connecting portion 15, and the posture of the tip member 2 is determined by the balance of these acting forces. Is done. In this configuration, the housing 11 of the tip member 2 is pressurized by the two posture operation members 31, so that the posture stability of the tip member 2 is improved as compared with the embodiment in which the pressure is applied by only one posture operation member 31. Can be increased.

  FIG. 12 shows an embodiment in which the mechanism for changing the posture of the tip member 2 is further different. The gripping tool 1 and the tip member 2 have the same configuration as the embodiment of FIGS. The remote control type actuator shown in FIG. 12 is provided with three guide pipes 30 at circumferential positions at a phase of 120 degrees in the outer pipe 25, and in the guide hole 30 a that is an inner diameter hole of the guide pipe 30. The posture operation member 31 is inserted in such a manner as to freely advance and retract. Between the three guide pipes 30, a plurality of reinforcing shafts 34 are arranged on the same pitch circle C as the guide pipes 30. The restoring elastic member 32 is not provided. The guide surfaces F1 and F2 are spherical surfaces whose center of curvature is a point O, and the tip member 2 can tilt in any direction.

The drive unit 4 is provided with three posture change drive sources 42 (42U, 42L, 42R) (FIG. 14) for individually moving the three posture operation members 31 (31U, 31L, 31R) forward and backward. The attitude of the tip member 2 is changed by driving these three attitude changing drive sources 42 in conjunction with each other.
For example, when the upper one posture operation member 31U in FIG. 12 is advanced to the distal end side and the other two posture operation members 31L and 31R are moved backward, the upper posture operation member 31U causes the housing 11 of the distal end member 2 to move. By being pushed, the tip member 2 changes its posture along the guide surfaces F1 and F2 to the side in which the tip side faces downward in FIG. At this time, each posture changing drive source 42 is controlled so that the amount of advance / retreat of each posture operation member 31 is appropriate. When each posture operation member 31 is moved back and forth, the housing 11 of the tip member 2 is pushed by the left and right posture operation members 31L and 31R, so that the tip member 2 moves to the side where the tip side is upward in FIG. The posture is changed along the guide surfaces F1 and F2.
Further, when the left posture operation member 31L is advanced and the right posture operation member 31R is retracted while the upper posture operation member 31U is stationary, the left posture operation member 31L is moved backward. When the housing 11 is pressed, the tip member 2 changes its posture along the guide surfaces F1 and F2 to the right, that is, the side facing the back side of the paper surface in FIG. When the left and right posture operation members 31L and 31R are moved back and forth, the housing 11 of the tip member 2 is pushed by the right posture operation member 31R, so that the tip member 2 moves along the guide surfaces F1 and F2 toward the left side. Change the posture.
Thus, by providing the posture operation member 31 at three positions in the circumferential direction, the tip member 2 can be changed in posture in the directions of the upper, lower, left and right axes (X axis, Y axis). At that time, the pressure of the three posture operating members 31 and the reaction force from the retaining member 21 are acting on the tip member connecting portion 15, and the posture of the tip member 2 is determined by the balance of these acting forces. The In this configuration, since the pressure is applied to the housing 11 of the tip member 2 by the three posture operation members 31, the posture stability of the tip member 2 can be further improved. If the number of posture operation members 31 is further increased, the posture stability of the tip member 2 can be further enhanced.

  FIG. 13 shows a further different embodiment. The guide portion 3 of the remote control type actuator has an outer diameter from a circumferential position where the hollow hole 24 of the outer pipe 25 forms a phase of 120 degrees with each other on the outer periphery of the circular hole portion 24a and the circular hole portion 24a. It consists of three groove-like parts 24b recessed to the side. The peripheral wall at the tip of the groove-like portion 24b has a semicircular cross section. And the rotating shaft 22 and the rolling bearing 26 are accommodated in the circular hole 24a, and the attitude | position operation member 31 (31U, 31L, 31R) is accommodated in each groove-shaped part 24b.

  By making the outer pipe 25 have the above-described cross-sectional shape, the thickness t of the outer pipe 25 other than the groove-like portion 24b is increased, and the secondary moment of the outer pipe 25 is increased. That is, the rigidity of the guide part 3 increases. Thereby, the positioning accuracy of the tip member 2 can be improved and the machinability can be improved. Further, since the guide pipe 30 is disposed in the groove-like portion 24b, the guide pipe 30 can be easily positioned in the circumferential direction, and the assemblability is good.

  When the posture operation member 31 is provided at three places in the circumferential direction as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the posture change drive mechanism 4c can be configured as shown in FIG. 14, for example. That is, three posture change drive sources 42 (42U, 42L, 42R) for individually moving the posture operation members 31 (31U, 31L, 31R) forward and backward are arranged in parallel on the left and right sides, and each posture change drive source is provided. A lever 43b (43bU, 43bL, 43bR) corresponding to 42 is provided so as to be rotatable around a common support shaft 43a, and each lever 43b has a long distance from the support shaft 43a at an action point P1 (P1U, P1L, P1R). The force of the output rod 42a (42aU, 42aL, 42aR) of each posture changing drive source 42 is applied, and a force is applied to the posture operating member 31 at a force point P2 (P2U, P2L, P2R) having a short distance from the support shaft 43a. As a configuration. Thereby, the output of each posture change drive source 42 can be increased and transmitted to the corresponding posture operation member 31. The rotary shaft 22 passes through an opening 44 formed in the lever 43bU for the upper posture operation member 31U.

As in the embodiment of FIGS. 11 to 13, the guide portion 3 and the tip member 2 are rotatable around the center line CL of the rotating member 13 such that the guide surfaces F <b> 1 and F <b> 2 of the tip member connecting portion 15 are spherical. If the restoring elastic member 32 is not provided, the tip member 2 can be rotated around the center line CL of the rotating member 13 by the power of the gripping drive source 41. is there. explain in detail.
When the tip member 2 is in the posture stop state, the friction between the guide surfaces F1 and F2 of the tip member connecting portion 15 and the friction between the posture operation member 31 and the tip member 2 are between the tip member 2 and the tip of the guide portion 3. The resistance acts as a rotational resistance, and the tip member 2 is restrained from rotating around the center line CL of the rotating member 13. Normally, when the rotating member 13 is rotated by the gripping drive source 41, the rotation operation of the rotating member 13 is converted into the opening / closing operation of the gripping tool 1 by the rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism 14. However, when the rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism 14 rotates the rotation member 13 with the function stopped, the rotational force of the rotation member 13 is transmitted to the housing 11 of the tip member 2 via the gripping piece 81. When the rotational force of the housing 11 exceeds the rotational resistance force, the tip member 2 rotates around the center line CL of the rotating member 13.

  In each example of FIGS. 11 to 13, the rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism 14 is the same as the configuration shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, and a spiral is used as a width suppressing means for mechanically suppressing the opening / closing width of the pair of gripping pieces 81. An inner diameter side stopper 85 and an outer diameter side stopper 86 for restricting the movement range of the projection 83 of the gripping piece 81 are provided in the vicinity of the inner diameter end and the outer diameter end of the groove 84, respectively. In this case, when the rotation member 13 is rotated counterclockwise as viewed from the distal end side in a state where the protrusion 83 is in contact with the inner diameter side stopper 85, that is, in a state where the gripping tool 1 is closed, the distal end member 2 is also in contact with the rotation member 13. It rotates counterclockwise around the center line CL. In addition, when the rotation member 13 is rotated clockwise as viewed from the distal end side in a state where the projection 83 is in contact with the outer diameter side stopper 86, that is, in a state where the gripping tool 1 is fully opened, the distal end member 2 is It rotates clockwise around the center line CL.

  Each of the embodiments of FIGS. 8 to 13 shows an example in which the guide portion 3 has a linear shape. However, the remote operation type actuator of the present invention can also be applied when the posture operation member 31 is flexible. Since the posture changing operation of the tip member 2 is reliably performed even when the portion 3 is curved, the guide portion 3 may be curved in the initial state as shown in FIG. Alternatively, only a part of the guide portion 3 may be curved. If the guide portion 3 is curved, when the remote control type actuator is used as a surgical instrument for grasping an endoscopic surgical operation, a surgical instrument insertion hole opened on the patient's body surface, a treatment location, Sites other than the treatment site located between the two can be avoided. That is, when the guide part 3 is curved, the treatment range for one hole may be wider than when the guide part 3 is straight. Accordingly, the number of surgical instrument insertion holes can be minimized, and the burden on the patient can be reduced.

  When the guide portion 3 has a curved shape, the outer pipe 25, the guide pipe 30, and the reinforcing shaft 34 need to be curved. The rotating shaft 22 is preferably made of a material that is easily deformed, and for example, a shape memory alloy is suitable.

  15 to 18 show embodiments in which the structures of the gripping drive mechanism and the posture changing drive mechanism are different. In each of the above embodiments, the grip drive source 41 of the grip drive mechanism 4b and the posture change drive source 42 of the posture change drive mechanism 4c are provided in the drive unit housing 4a. In the eighteenth embodiment, the gripping drive source 41 and the posture changing drive source 42 are provided in a drive source housing 60 different from the drive unit housing 4a.

  In the gripping drive mechanism 61 of this embodiment, rotation of the output shaft 41a of the gripping drive source 41 provided in the drive source housing 60 is rotated by an inner wire 64 (FIG. 17) of the gripping cable 62 that is a flexible cable. It transmits to the base end of the rotating shaft 22 in the drive part housing 4a. The gripping cable 62 has a structure shown in FIG. 17, for example. That is, a flexible inner wire 64 is rotatably supported by a plurality of rolling bearings 66 at the center of the flexible outer tube 63. Both ends of the inner wire 64 are connected to the output shaft 41 a of the gripping drive source 41 and the base end of the rotary shaft 22, respectively. Between the rolling bearings 66, spring elements 67A and 67B for generating a preload on the rolling bearings 66 are provided. The spring elements 67A and 67B are, for example, compression coil springs. There are an inner ring spring element 67A for generating a preload on the inner ring of the rolling bearing 66 and an outer ring spring element 67B for generating a preload on the outer ring, which are arranged alternately. Thus, the inner wire 64 can be rotated at a high speed by applying a preload to the rolling bearing 66 by the spring elements 67A and 67B. A commercially available flexible shaft may be used.

  In addition, the posture changing drive mechanism 71 according to this embodiment allows the operation of the posture changing drive source 42 provided in the drive source housing 60 to move inside the drive unit housing 4a via the posture changing cable 72, which is a flexible cable. Is transmitted to the drive mechanism 78 of the motor. The drive mechanism unit 78 corresponds to the posture change drive mechanism 4c of the above embodiment except the posture change drive source 42, and instead of the output rod 42a of the posture change drive source 42 in the posture change drive mechanism 4c. Further, an advancing / retreating member 75 is provided that advances and retreats with respect to the drive unit housing 4a in a state where the tip is in contact with the lever 43b. The advance / retreat member 75 is moved forward and backward with respect to the drive unit housing 4a by converting a rotational motion into a straight motion by a screw mechanism 75a such as a ball screw. In this case, the posture changing drive source 42 is a rotary actuator, and the rotation of the posture changing drive source 42 is transmitted to the advance / retreat member 75 by the inner wire 74 (FIG. 18) of the posture changing cable 72.

  The posture changing cable 72 has the same structure as the gripping cable 62, for example, the structure shown in FIG. That is, a flexible inner wire 74 is rotatably supported by a plurality of rolling bearings 76 at the center of the flexible outer tube 73. Both ends of the inner wire 74 are connected to the output shaft 42a and the advance / retreat member 75 of the attitude changing drive source 42, respectively. Between the rolling bearings 76, spring elements 77A and 77B for generating a preload on the rolling bearings 76 are provided. The spring elements 77A and 77B are, for example, compression coil springs. There are an inner ring spring element 77A for generating a preload on the inner ring of the rolling bearing 76 and an outer ring spring element 77B for generating a preload on the outer ring, which are alternately arranged. Thus, the inner wire 74 can be rotated at a high speed by applying a preload to the rolling bearing 76 by the spring elements 77A and 77B. A commercially available flexible shaft may be used.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the controller 5 that controls the gripping drive source 41 and the posture changing drive source 42 is connected to the drive source housing 60. The tip member 2 and the guide part 3 have the same configuration as any one of the above embodiments.

  As in this embodiment, by providing the gripping drive source 41 and the posture changing drive source 42 outside the drive unit housing 4a, the drive unit housing 4a can be reduced in size. Therefore, it is possible to improve the handleability when operating the remote operation type actuator with the drive unit housing 4a.

  The medical remote control actuator has been described above, but the present invention can be applied to remote control actuators for other purposes. For example, the present invention can be applied to a remotely operated actuator used for assembling precision machines performed in a special atmosphere.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Gripping tool 2 ... Tip member 3 ... Guide part 4a ... Drive part housing 5 ... Controller 11a ... Guided part 12, 26 ... Rolling bearing 13 ... Rotating member (member with spiral groove, pinion, worm)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 ... Rotation / opening-closing conversion mechanism 15 ... Tip member connection part 21a ... Guide part 22 ... Rotating shaft 25 ... Outer pipe 30 ... Guide pipe 30a ... Guide hole 31 ... Posture operation member 41 ... Gripping drive source 42 ... Posture change drive Source 45 ... Supply wattmeter 46 ... Gripping force detection means 47 ... Motion amount detector 48 ... Posture detection means 50 ... Cooling means 62 ... Gripping cable (flexible cable)
72 ... Cable for posture change (flexible cable)
80A, 80B, 80C ... gripping means 81 ... gripping piece 81c ... base (rack)
81e ... Base (worm wheel)
82 ... gripping piece guide member 83 ... projection 84 ... spiral groove 85 ... stopper on the inner diameter side (width suppressing means)
86: Stopper on the outer diameter side (width suppression means)
F1, F2 ... Guide surface

Claims (18)

An elongated guide part, a tip member attached to the tip of the guide part via a tip member connecting part so that the posture can be freely changed, an open / close-type gripping tool provided on the tip member, and rotating to the tip member A rotation member provided freely, a rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism for converting a rotation operation of the rotation member into an opening / closing operation of the gripper, a gripping drive source for applying a rotational force to the rotation member, and a tip member A posture changing drive source for manipulating the posture,
The guide portion includes a rotation shaft that transmits the rotation of the gripping drive source to the rotation member, and guide holes that penetrate through both ends, and the tip moves forward and backward by contacting the tip member. A remote operation type actuator, wherein a posture operation member for changing the posture of a tip member is inserted into the guide hole so as to be able to advance and retreat, and the posture operation member is moved forward and backward by the posture change drive source.   The remote control actuator according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion has a curved portion.   3. The remote control type actuator according to claim 1, wherein both or one of the gripping drive source and the posture changing drive source is provided in a drive unit housing to which a base end of the guide unit is coupled. .   3. The remote control type actuator according to claim 1, wherein the gripping drive source and the posture changing drive source are provided outside a drive unit housing to which a base end of the guide unit is coupled.   3. The grip drive according to claim 1, wherein the grip drive source and / or the posture change drive source are provided outside the drive unit housing to which a base end of the guide unit is coupled. A remote operation type actuator that transmits a driving force of a drive source provided outside the drive unit housing among the power source and the posture change drive source to the rotary shaft or the posture operation member by a flexible cable.   6. The tip member connecting portion according to claim 1, wherein the guide member side guide portion and the tip member side guided portion have a center of curvature on a center line of the rotating member. A remote-operated actuator that is in contact with a spherical or cylindrical guide surface that is positioned, and the center of the connecting portion between the rotating member and the rotating shaft is at the same position as the center of curvature of the guide surface.   7. The motion amount detector for detecting the motion amount of the posture change drive source according to claim 1, and detecting the posture of the tip member from a detection value of the motion amount detector. 8. Remote control type actuator provided with attitude detection means.   8. The gripping drive source according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the gripping drive source is an electric actuator, and gripping force detection means for measuring the power supplied to the electric actuator and detecting the gripping force of the gripper. Remote control actuator provided.   9. The guide pipe according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion includes an outer pipe serving as an outer shell of the guide portion, and the guide hole is an inner diameter hole of the guide pipe provided in the outer pipe. Is a remotely operated actuator.   10. The remote control type actuator according to claim 9, wherein a plurality of rolling bearings for rotatably supporting the rotating shaft are provided in the outer pipe, and outer diameter surfaces of the plurality of rolling bearings are supported by the guide pipe.   11. The remote operation type actuator according to claim 10, further comprising a cooling means for cooling the rolling bearing with a coolant passing through the inside of the outer pipe.   12. The remote control type actuator according to claim 11, wherein the coolant is water or physiological saline.   13. The gripping tool according to claim 1, wherein the gripping tool has a pair of gripping pieces that can be opened and closed in a radial direction, and the rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism includes both or any of the pair of gripping pieces. A gripping piece guide member that guides one of them in the radial direction, a spiral grooved member that rotates integrally with the rotating member, and has a spiral groove whose center is located on the center line of the rotating member; A remote operation type actuator comprising a protrusion provided on a gripping piece guided in a radial direction by a single guide member and slidably engaged with the spiral groove.   13. The gripping tool according to claim 1, wherein the gripping tool has a pair of gripping pieces that can be opened / closed in a radial direction, and the rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism includes both or any of the pair of gripping pieces. A gripping piece guide member that guides one of them in the radial direction, a pinion that has the same center line as the rotating member and rotates integrally with the rotating member, and a gripping piece guided in the radial direction by the gripping piece guide member A remotely operated actuator comprising a rack that is integrally provided and meshes with the pinion.   13. The gripping tool according to claim 1, wherein the gripping tool has a pair of gripping pieces that can be opened / closed in a radial direction, and the rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism includes both or any of the pair of gripping pieces. A gripping piece support member that supports one of them rotatably in the radial direction, a worm whose center line is the same as that of the rotating member and rotating integrally with the rotating member, and a gripping piece supported by the gripping piece support member A remote-operated actuator comprising a worm wheel that is integrally provided with the grip piece and a rotation center line that meshes with the worm.   16. The remote control type actuator according to claim 1, wherein the rotation / opening / closing conversion mechanism is provided with a width suppressing means for mechanically suppressing an opening / closing width of the pair of gripping pieces.   17. The tip member according to claim 1, wherein the tip member is attached to the tip of the guide portion so as to be rotatable around a center line of the rotation shaft, and between the tip of the guide portion. The rotation resistance force generated at the contact portion restricts the rotation of the rotation shaft around the center line, and the rotation force received by the rotation member by the rotation of the rotation shaft exceeds the force that prevents the rotation resistance force from rotating. A remote operation type actuator that allows the tip member to be rotated by the gripping drive source by rotating the rotary shaft by the gripping drive source.   The medical remote-control actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 17, used for endoscopic surgery.

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