WO2022239294A1 - Information input device, control device, and surgery system - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is an information input device that has a three-axis rotational freedom, and presents a sense of force.　The information input device comprises: an outer shell part made of a hollow spherical structure; a drive part for rotationally driving the outer shell part; a suction part for sucking the outer shell part so as to bring a surface of the outer shell part into contact with the drive part; an opening provided in the outer shell part for insertion of a finger of a user; and a sensor part disposed inside the outer shall part. The drive part is composed of a motor, and an omni wheel mounted on an output shaft of the motor. The omni wheel contacts the surface of the outer shell part, and transmits a rotational force of the motor to the outer shell part by a friction force.

Description

Information input device, control device, and surgical system

The technology disclosed in this specification (hereinafter referred to as "this disclosure") relates to an information input device, a control device, and an operation system for an operator to perform an input operation on the master side, for example, in a master-slave system.

In the field of surgery, a master-slave surgical system, for example, has been developed for the purpose of suppressing operator's hand tremors and absorbing differences in skill between operators through operational support, and is becoming widespread in the medical field. In this type of surgery system, an operator operates an input device on the master side, and on the slave side, a slave robot is driven according to the operation amount of the input device by the operator to perform surgery. The slave robot is equipped with, for example, one or more robot arms, and medical instruments such as forceps, tweezers, and treatment instruments are mounted on the distal end of each robot arm. For example, a bilateral control master-slave system has been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

Thus, in a surgical system in which a slave robot is driven by the master-slave method, the operator recognizes the external force received by the surgical tool at the distal end of the slave robot from the affected area as a force sensation, thereby suppressing the invasion of the affected area. important on the For example, it is conceivable to present a force sensation using an input device operated by an operator on the master side.

For example, it consists of a freely rotatable sphere as an interface, a support that supports the sphere from below, and three drive units for rotating the sphere. A haptic presentation device has been proposed that consists of a wheel (omni-wheel) provided in a sphere and drives a spherical body with three degrees of freedom (see Patent Document 2). For the operator of this haptic presentation device, the force and moment existing in a virtual world constructed on a computer transmitted by a driving unit or in a remotely controlled robot or the like are presented as a tactile sensation through a sphere in the hand. be. Here, in order to detect the force sense when driving the sphere, for example, it is necessary to mount a torque sensor on the motor of the drive unit, or mount a multi-axis force sensor on the root side of the drive unit. It is thought. Although Patent Literature 2 describes that a six-axis torque sensor is arranged at the bottom, there is concern that the resolution of the torque sensor will be rough and noise will increase due to supporting the weight of the drive unit.

In addition, the outer shell has a hollow spherical structure and has an opening into which the user's finger is inserted; An information input device has been proposed that includes a rotation detection unit that detects a rotation angle when the outer shell is manually operated with the finger (see Patent Document 3). This information input device is lightweight, capable of inputting or measuring rotational angles with three degrees of freedom, and has a wide rotational movable range. However, since this information input device does not have means for rotationally driving the outer shell, it cannot present rotational force to the user.

JP 2020-162916 A JP 2006-113818 A WO2018/230385 JP 2016-124348 A Japanese Patent Publication No. 04-45310 JP 2013-66669 A

An object of the present disclosure is to provide an information input device, a control device, and an operation system that can input a rotation angle with three degrees of freedom and present a force sensation including a rotational force.

The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above problems, and the first aspect thereof is
an outer shell having a hollow spherical structure;
a drive unit that rotationally drives the outer shell;
an adsorption unit that adsorbs the outer shell so that the surface of the outer shell is in contact with the driving unit;
an opening for inserting a user's finger provided in the outer shell;
a sensor unit disposed inside the outer shell;
It is an information input device comprising

The drive section consists of three or more drive sections, and drives the outer shell section to rotate about three axes. Each of said three or more drives comprises a motor and an omni-wheel attached to the output shaft of said motor. The suction unit suctions the outer shell so as to press the surface of the outer shell against the omniwheel of each driving unit. The omniwheel contacts the surface of the outer shell and transmits the rotational force of the motor to the outer shell by frictional force.

The sensor section includes a position and orientation sensor that detects the position and orientation of the outer shell section. Further, the sensor section further includes a force sensor that detects an external force acting inside the outer shell section. A tubular cover member is attached over the force sensor, and parts that a user touches with a finger are arranged in the cover member.

In addition, a second aspect of the present disclosure is
an information input device according to the first aspect;
a translating structure on which the information input device is mounted;
a control unit that controls the drive unit and the translation structure unit based on sensor information detected by the sensor unit;
It is a control device comprising

The sensor section includes a force sensor that detects an external force acting inside the outer shell and a posture sensor that detects the posture of the outer shell. The controller converts the sensor value detected by the force sensor into the coordinate system of the translational structure based on the orientation information of the outer shell measured by the orientation sensor, and uses a disturbance observer and a torque sensor to convert the sensor value detected by the force sensor into the coordinate system of the translational structure. to estimate the force acting on the translational structure, and compare the difference between these two forces to identify the force acting outside the detection range of the force sensor.

A third aspect of the present disclosure is a master-slave surgical system,
The master device includes an outer shell having a hollow spherical structure, a drive unit that rotationally drives the outer shell, and a surface of the outer shell that attracts the outer shell so as to be in contact with the drive unit. an input device including a suction unit, an opening provided in the outer shell for inserting a user's finger, and a sensor unit disposed inside the outer shell;
the slave device operates based on an operation on the input device;
It is a surgical system.

However, the "system" referred to here refers to a logical assembly of multiple devices (or functional modules that implement specific functions), and each device or functional module is in a single housing. It does not matter whether or not

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an information input device, a control device, and an operation system that can input a rotation angle with three degrees of freedom and present a force sensation including a rotational force.

It should be noted that the effects described in this specification are merely examples, and the effects brought about by the present disclosure are not limited to these. In addition, the present disclosure may have additional effects in addition to the effects described above.

Further objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from more detailed descriptions based on the embodiments described later and the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a functional configuration example of a master-slave surgery system 100. As shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the external configuration of the information input device 200. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the external configuration of the information input device 200. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the outer shell portion 210 and the driving portion 220. As shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the external configuration (upper surface) of the information input device 200. As shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing information input device 200 as viewed from the bottom surface of outer shell 210. As shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing how the lower surface of the outer shell 210 and the omniwheels 222, 232, and 242 come into contact with each other. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example in which the outer shell portion 210 is rotated. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example in which the outer shell portion 210 is rotated. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the internal structure of outer shell 210. As shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the internal structure of outer shell 210. As shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a view showing the inside of outer shell 210 viewed from opening 211. As shown in FIG. 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining the assembly procedure of the information input device 200 (the state before the cover member 1010 is inserted into the outer shell portion 210). 14A and 14B are diagrams for explaining the assembly procedure of the information input device 200 (with the cover member 1010 inserted into the outer shell portion 210). FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the assembly procedure of the information input device 200 (the assembled state). FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a specific configuration example of the gripping mechanism section 1012. As shown in FIG. 17A and 17B are diagrams showing the gripping operation of the gripping mechanism section 1012. FIG. 18A and 18B are diagrams showing the gripping operation of the gripping mechanism section 1012. FIG. 19A and 19B are diagrams showing the gripping operation of the gripping mechanism section 1012. FIG. 20A and 20B are diagrams showing the gripping operation of the gripping mechanism section 1012. FIG. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a translation stage 2100. As shown in FIG. FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a 6-DOF input device combining a 3-axis translation stage and an information input device 210. As shown in FIG. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a degree-of-freedom configuration of the parallel link 2300. As shown in FIG. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a 6-DOF input device combining the parallel link 2300 and the information input device 210. As shown in FIG. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the slave robot 122. As shown in FIG. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a functional configuration example of a 4CH bilateral control system 2600. As shown in FIG. FIG. 27 is a control block diagram of disturbance observer 2700. As shown in FIG.

The present disclosure will be described in the following order with reference to the drawings.

A. Surgical systemB. Configuration of information input deviceC. Internal configurationD. Assembly procedureE. Configuration example of gripping mechanism F. Combination with 3-axis translation structure G. Bilateral control type surgery system H. effect

A. Surgical System FIG. 1 shows an example of the functional configuration of a master-slave surgical system 100 . The illustrated surgery system 100 includes a master device 110 for which a user (operator) instructs operations such as surgery, and a slave device 120 for performing surgery according to instructions from the master device 110 . Master device 110 and slave device 120 are interconnected via transmission line 130 . It is desirable that the transmission line 130 can perform signal transmission with low delay using a medium such as an optical fiber.

The master device 110 includes a master-side control unit 111, an operation UI (User Interface) unit 112, a presentation unit 113, and a master-side communication unit 114. The master device 110 operates under general control by the master-side control section 111 .

The operation UI unit 112 is a device for a user (operator, etc.) to input instructions to a slave robot 122 (described later) that operates surgical tools such as forceps in the slave device 120 . It is assumed that the operation UI unit 112 is capable of inputting rotation angles with three degrees of freedom, and more preferably has six degrees of freedom in total, including three degrees of freedom of translation. In this embodiment, as the operation UI unit 112, an information input device capable of inputting a rotation angle with three degrees of freedom and presenting a force sensation including a rotational force is used. Details of this information input device will be described later. hand over.

The presentation unit 113 provides the user (operator) who is operating the operation UI unit 112 with the slave device 120 mainly based on sensor information acquired by the sensor unit 123 (described later) on the slave device 120 side. Present information about the surgery being performed.

For example, the sensor unit 123 is equipped with an observation device such as an RGB camera that captures images for observing the surface of the affected area, or is equipped with an interface that captures images captured by these observation devices, and these image data are transmitted through the transmission path. When transferred to the master device 110 with low delay via 130, the presentation unit 113 uses a monitor display or the like to display the real-time affected area image on the screen.

Further, the sensor unit 123 is equipped with a function to measure the external force and moment acting on the surgical tool operated by the slave robot 122, and such haptic information is transferred to the master device 110 via the transmission line 130 with low delay. If so, the presentation unit 113 presents the force sense to the user (operator). In this embodiment, the information input device used as the operation UI unit 112 has a haptic presentation function, but the details of this point will be given later.

Under the control of the master-side control unit 111, the master-side communication unit 114 performs transmission/reception processing of signals with the slave device 120 via the transmission line 130. For example, when the transmission line 130 is made of optical fiber, the master side communication unit 114 includes an electric/optical conversion unit that converts an electrical signal sent from the master device 110 into an optical signal, and an optical signal received from the transmission line 130 that is converted into an electrical signal. A photoelectric conversion unit is provided.

The master-side communication unit 114 transfers an operation command for the slave robot 122 input by the user (operator) via the operation UI unit 112 to the slave device 120 via the transmission line 130 . Also, the master-side communication unit 114 receives sensor information sent from the slave device 120 via the transmission line 130 .

On the other hand, the slave device 120 includes a slave side control section 121, a slave robot 122, a sensor section 123, and a slave side communication section . The slave device 120 performs operations according to instructions from the master device 110 under overall control by the slave-side control unit 121 .

The slave robot 122 is, for example, an arm-shaped robot with a multi-link structure, and has a surgical tool such as forceps as an end effector at its tip (or distal end). The slave-side control unit 121 interprets the operation command sent from the master device 110 via the transmission line 130, converts it into a drive signal for the actuator that drives the slave robot 122, and outputs the drive signal. The slave robot 122 operates based on the drive signal from the slave side control section 121 .

The sensor unit 123 includes the slave robot 122 and a plurality of sensors for detecting the condition of the affected part of the operation performed by the slave robot 122, and also has an interface for taking in sensor information from various sensor devices installed in the operating room. Equipped. For example, the sensor unit 123 includes a force sensor (Force Torque Sensor: FTS) for measuring the external force and moment acting on the surgical tool mounted on the tip (distal end) of the slave robot 122 during surgery. ing. Further, the sensor unit 123 is equipped with a camera for capturing an image of an affected area being operated by the slave robot 122, or an interface for capturing an image captured by the camera.

The slave-side communication unit 124 performs transmission/reception processing of signals from the master device 110 via the transmission path 130 under the control of the slave-side control unit 121 . For example, when the transmission line 130 is made of an optical fiber, the slave side communication unit 124 includes an electrical/optical conversion unit that converts an electrical signal sent from the slave device 120 into an optical signal, and an optical signal received from the transmission line 130 that is converted into an electrical signal. A photoelectric conversion unit is provided.

The slave-side communication unit 124 transmits force data of the surgical tool acquired by the sensor unit 123, a microscope image of the affected area, an OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) image obtained by scanning the cross section of the affected area, and the like via the transmission path 130 to the master device. 110. The slave-side communication unit 124 also receives an operation command for the slave robot 122 sent from the master device 110 via the transmission line 130 .

The surgical system 100 is a master-slave system, but bilateral control is possible by mounting a force sensor on the tip of the slave robot 122 . Bilateral control is a control method in which a slave is operated by the master in master-slave control, and the state of the slave is fed back to the master at the same time, and power can be presented to the user operating the master. An ideal bilateral control system can simultaneously match the positions and forces of the master and slave.

B. Configuration of Information Input Device In FIG. 1, the specific configuration of the operation UI unit 112 of the master device 110 is omitted from illustration. There is a strong need to provide

Therefore, in this specification, an information input device that can be applied as the operation UI unit 112 on the master device 110 side, has a wide rotational movable range, is lightweight, and is capable of inputting or measuring a rotation angle with three degrees of freedom. are proposed below.

2 and 3 show the external configuration of an information input device 200 proposed in this specification, capable of inputting a rotation angle with 3 degrees of freedom and capable of presenting a rotational force with 3 degrees of freedom. ing. The illustrated information input device 200 can be applied as the operation UI unit 112, and includes an outer shell part 210 having a hollow spherical structure and containing main components, and a bottom part of the outer shell part 210 that supports the outer shell part 210. and a suction portion 250 that attracts the outer shell portion 210 so that it does not separate from the drive portions 220-240. FIG. 2 shows the appearance of the information input device 200 as seen from the side with the drive units 220 and 230 in front, while FIG. 3 shows the appearance as seen from the side with the drive unit 240 in front. .

The outer shell part 210 has an opening 211 near the upper surface for inserting two or more fingers of the user (basically the thumb and forefinger). Inside the outer shell 210, there are a gripping mechanism that the user grips with two fingers, a position and orientation sensor such as an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) that detects changes in the position and posture of the outer shell 210, a user's Various sensors such as a force sensor for detecting an external force received from a finger are arranged. The opening 211 is large enough to facilitate the mounting of members inside the outer shell 210 and the insertion of a person's finger. However, in FIGS. 2 and 3, the detailed structure inside the outer shell 210 that can be seen from the opening 211 is omitted for the sake of simplification of the drawings. Note that the outer shell portion 210 may be composed of only one spherical structure, or may be composed of a spherical surface by connecting a plurality of surfaces.

The drive unit 220 is composed of a rotary motor 221 and an omni wheel 222 attached to the output shaft of the motor 221 . Similarly, the driving section 230 is composed of a motor 231 and an omniwheel 232 , and the driving section 240 is composed of a motor 241 and an omniwheel 242 . Each omni-wheel 222, 232, 242 is an omni-directional wheel that has greater friction in the drive direction than in the non-drive direction, the friction in the non-drive direction hindering movement of objects in contact therewith. It has the property of being as small as possible. In this embodiment, it is used to transmit the rotation of each motor 221 , 231 , 241 to the surface of the outer shell 210 .

　The omni wheel itself is a well-known mechanical part in the industry. An omni wheel is a wheel configured by, for example, arranging a plurality of rollers (barrels) around one shaft (the output shaft of a motor in this embodiment) so that their rotation axes are directed in different directions. There is (see, for example, US Pat. The specific configuration of the omni-wheel is not particularly limited as long as it can provide the function of being movable in all directions, but it is desirable that the omni-wheel has a structure capable of realizing rotation with little backlash. In FIG. 2, for simplification of the drawing, only schematic outlines of the respective omniwheels 222, 232, 242 are drawn, and illustration of detailed structures is omitted.

The drive units 220, 230, and 240 basically use the same product, but of course, the drive units 220, 230, and 240 may be configured by combining different products. In the example shown in FIG. 2 , each drive 220 , 230 , 240 is driven so that an omniwheel 222 , 232 , 242 attached to the output shaft of the respective motor 221 , 231 , 241 contacts the surface of the shell 210 . In addition, they are arranged symmetrically at intervals of 120 degrees around the vertical central axis of the outer shell 210 .

The outer shell 210 of spherical structure is supported near the bottom by three points of contact with each omniwheel 222, 232, 242. As described above, when the drive units 220, 230, 240 are symmetrically arranged at intervals of 120 degrees around the central axis of the shell 210, the surface of the shell 210 and the omniwheels 222, 232, 242 are aligned. The points of contact with are approximately the vertices of an equilateral triangle. Also, the adsorption section 250 is arranged at the center of the drive sections 220 , 230 and 240 and adsorbs the surface of the outer shell section 210 near the bottom. Therefore, the outer shell 210 is prevented from falling off from the triangle formed by the points of contact with the omniwheels 222, 232, and 242 by the resultant force of the weight of the outer shell 210 and the adsorption force of the adsorption portion 250. Contact is maintained between the omniwheels 222 , 232 , 242 and the surface of the shell 210 to create a frictional force. However, the omniwheels 222, 232, and 242 and the suction unit 250 are arranged so that they are not in contact with each other so that sliding friction does not occur.

For example, when the outer shell 210 is made of a magnetic material, the attracting part 250 can attract the surface of the outer shell 210 by the magnetism of the magnet. However, of the outer shell portion 210, only the surface of the region that is attracted by the attracting portion 250 during the rotation operation described later is made of a magnetic material, and the surface of the other regions is made of a non-magnetic material. good too. Further, the method of attracting the attracting portion 250 is not limited to magnetism, and the attracting portion 250 may attract the outer shell portion 210 using an action other than magnetism, such as air pressure or electrostatic force. Depending on the method by which the attracting portion 250 exerts the attracting force, the outer shell portion 210 need not be limited to a specific material such as a magnetic material. Comparing the case of using a magnet as the attracting structure of the attracting portion 250 and the case of using air pressure, the magnet is more advantageous in that it can continue to attract the outer shell portion 210 without power. Also, when an IMU is used as the position and orientation sensor, the current orientation can be measured using the magnet and geomagnetism measurement (described later) of the IMU.

Regardless of how the adsorption part 250 adsorbs the outer shell part 210, the spherical outer shell part 210 falls off from the triangular mounting part composed of the driving parts 220, 230, and 240. In order to prevent this, it is desirable that the adsorption portion 250 adsorbs the outer shell portion 210 with an area of three-fourths or less of the diameter of the outer shell portion 210 .

As can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, the area where the outer shell part 210 contacts each driving part 220, 230, 240 is limited to the vicinity of the bottom of the sphere. Therefore, even if the opening 211 for inserting two fingers is provided, a wide area is secured for the user to rotate the outer shell 210 with the finger inserted into the opening 211 .

For reference, FIG. 4 shows the positional relationship between the outer shell part 210 and the driving part 220 when the information input device 200 is viewed from the side. As shown in FIG. 4, omniwheel 222 abuts the surface of shell 210 . The central axis 401 of the outer shell 210 and the rotational axis 402 of the motor 221 of the drive section 220 seem to intersect, but in reality the central axis 401 and the rotational axis 402 are at twisted positions. Although not shown, the omni wheel 232 and the omni wheel 242 are in contact with the surface of the outer shell 210 respectively. In addition, the motor 231 of the other drive unit 230 and the motor 241 of the drive unit 240 are also assumed to have their rotation axes at twisted positions with respect to the central axis 401 of the outer shell 210 .

In addition, FIGS. 5 and 6 show the positional relationship between the drive units 220, 230, and 240 when the information input device 200 is viewed from above and below the outer shell 210, respectively. However, for the sake of simplification of the drawing, the illustration of the internal structure of the outer shell 210 seen through the opening 211 is omitted in FIG. In addition, the contours of the portions of the drive units 220, 230, and 240 that are hidden by the outer shell 210 are drawn with dotted lines. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the driving portions 220 , 230 , 240 are symmetrically arranged at intervals of 120 degrees around the vertical center axis of the outer shell portion 210 . Further, the central axis 401 of the outer shell portion 210 and the rotating shafts 402 of the motors 221, 231 and 241 of the drive portions 220, 230 and 240 are at twisted positions. When the outer shell 210 is attracted to the suction part 250 , the omniwheels 222 , 232 , 242 attached to the output shafts of the motors 221 , 231 , 241 come into contact with the surface of the outer shell 210 . In this state, the motors 221, 231, 241 are housed in a circle 601 formed by the contact points of the surfaces of the omniwheels 222, 232, 242 and the outer shell 210, but the diameter is as small as possible. Each drive unit 220, 230, 240 is arranged in the . Therefore, it is possible to achieve three-axis rotation of the spherical outer shell 210 with a simple structure that saves space and uses a small number of motors.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the drive units 220, 230, and 240 are held by the base unit 260 at their lower ends so that the positional relationships shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are established. Fixed. The structure in which the base portion 260 holds the driving portions 220, 230, and 240 and the shape of the base portion 260 are arbitrary, and can be designed according to the location and installation method of the information input device 200. FIG.

Next, the operation of rotating the spherical outer shell portion 210 using the driving portions 220, 230, and 240 will be described.

As described above, the outer shell part 210 is pulled downward by the resultant force of the weight of the outer shell part 210 and the adsorption force of the adsorption part 250, so that it is pressed against the omni wheels 222, 232, 242, , 232 and 242 so as not to fall out of the triangle formed by the points of contact with .

Each omni-wheel 222, 232, 242 is a wheel that can move in all directions. Each omniwheel 222, 232, 242 has greater friction in the drive direction than in the non-drive direction. In this embodiment, this property is used to use each omniwheel 222, 232, 242 to transmit the rotation of the motors 221, 231, 241 to the surface of the outer shell 210, respectively.

In the support structure of the outer shell 210 as described above, when the motors 221, 231, and 241 rotate, the rotational forces of the motors 221, 231, and 241 are applied to the outer shell 210 via the omniwheels 222, 232, and 242. transmitted to the surface of Each omniwheel 222, 232, 242 has greater friction in the drive direction than in the non-drive direction. Therefore, the rotation of the omni wheels 222 , 232 , 242 is transmitted to the surface of the outer shell 210 without mutual slippage between the surface of the outer shell 210 and the omni wheels 222 , 232 , 242 .

FIG. 7 shows how the omniwheels 222 , 232 , 242 are in contact with the lower surface of the outer shell 210 and the forces acting on the surface of the outer shell 210 from the omniwheels 222 , 232 , 242 . However, illustration of the motors 221, 231, and 241 of the drive units 220, 230, and 240 is omitted in FIG. When the motors 221, 231, 241 rotate, tangential frictional forces S1, S2, S3 act on the surface of the outer shell 210 at points of contact with the omniwheels 222, 232, 242, respectively. A rotational movement of the portion 210 is produced. As described above, since the rotating shaft 402 of the motor 221 of the drive unit 220 is twisted with the central axis 401 of the outer shell 210, the frictional force S1 received from the omniwheel 222 is It has a latitudinal component force S1 _LAT and a longitudinal component force S1 _LONG . Similarly, the frictional force S2 received from the omni-wheel 232 has a component force S2 _LAT in the latitudinal direction and a component force S2 _LONG in the longitudinal direction of the sphere of the outer shell 210, and the frictional force S3 received from the omni-wheel 242 The sphere of portion 210 has a latitudinal component force S3 _LAT and a longitudinal component force S3 _LONG . Therefore, by synchronously controlling the rotational speeds of the motors 221, 231, and 241, the outer shell 210 can be rotated about three axes. That is, it is possible to present a haptic sensation including rotational force about three axes to the user's finger inserted into the outer shell 210 .

On the other hand, each of the omniwheels 222, 232, 242 has a small friction in the non-driving direction to the extent that it does not hinder the movement of the object in contact with it. In other words, the surface of shell 210 is slidable in contact with each omniwheel 222 , 232 , 242 . In this way, the outer shell 210 can slide with respect to each contact point with the omniwheels 222 , 232 , 242 while receiving the adsorption force from the adsorption section 250 , so that the user can use the finger inserted into the opening 211 to slide. The outer shell part 210 can be rotated without any trouble as an interface (operation UI part 112).

FIG. 8 illustrates how the user uses a finger inserted into the opening 211 to rotate the outer shell 210 from the posture shown in FIG. . 9 illustrates how the user rotates outer shell 210 in the direction of the arrow indicated by reference number 901 from the posture shown in FIG.

The information input device 200 according to the present disclosure has a configuration in which the outer shell portion 210 having a spherical structure to be operated by the user is connected by attracting the attraction portion 250 (magnetism, etc.). Since there is no singular point like this, it can be used as a rotation input UI with 3 degrees of freedom with a wide range of motion. Basically, the entire surface of outer shell 210 is the range of motion, and singular points do not exist. Further, the information input device 200 according to the present disclosure is capable of detecting 3-axis rotation, detecting the user's gripping force, and presenting the gripping force, as will be described later.

C. Internal Structure In this section C, the internal structure of the outer shell portion 210 will be described. 10 and 11 schematically show the internal structure of outer shell 210. As shown in FIG. However, FIG. 10 shows the user's right thumb and forefinger inserted through the opening 211 viewed from the front, and FIG. showing the situation.

A force sensor 1001 is arranged on the bottom surface of the outer shell part 210 . By disposing force sensor 1001 inside outer shell 210 , the structure behind (or at the distal end of) force sensor 1001 is completely separated from the spherical structure of outer shell 210 . A cylindrical cover member 1010 is attached to the upper portion of the force sensor 1001, as will be described later in detail. The cover member 1010 has the role of regulating the range in which the finger can move so that the finger does not touch the inner wall of the outer shell 210 and separating it from the spherical structure of the outer shell 210 .

Here, the force sensor 1001 is composed of, for example, a strain-generating body and a strain detection element attached to the surface of the strain-generating body. The external force can be converted from the strain amount. The force sensor 1001 is, for example, a 6-degree-of-freedom sensor capable of detecting forces in three-axis directions and torques around three axes. In FIGS. 10 and 11, the force sensor 1001 is drawn as a simple block for simplification of the drawings. The force sensor 1001 is fixed by screwing from the back (outside of the outer shell 210) through, for example, screw holes drilled in the bottom surface of the spherical surface.

When the force sensor 1001 is configured using a magnetic material such as an iron-based material for the strain body, and when the attraction unit 250 uses magnetism for the attraction structure (described above), the magnetism is applied to the strain body. There is a problem that it acts on and causes noise. Therefore, it is necessary to configure the force sensor 1001 using a strain-generating body made of a non-magnetic material such as aluminum to suppress noise generation. In addition to the force sensor 1001, parts arranged near the inner wall of the outer shell 210 should be made of non-magnetic materials. When the adsorption part 250 has an air pressure adsorption structure, there is no restriction that the parts arranged in the outer shell part 210 be made of non-magnetic material. Further, regardless of whether the attraction part 250 attracts the outer shell part 210 by magnetic or pneumatic action, the outer shell part 210 is attracted by an attraction force weaker than the breaking load of the force sensor 1001 . Among the members arranged in the outer shell 210, the force sensor 1001 is considered to be the most fragile. The force sensor 1001 can be protected by setting the adsorption force of the adsorption portion 250 to be equal to or less than the breaking load of the force sensor 1001 .

A cover member 1010 is attached to the upper portion of the force sensor 1001 . The cover member 1010 is a hollow cylindrical structure with an open top and a closed bottom that joins the force sensor 1001 . The outer diameter of the cylinder of the cover member 1010 is set to a size that can be put in and taken out of the outer shell portion 210 through the opening portion 211 .

The user's two or more fingers (thumb and forefinger) can be inserted into the cover member 1010 (or the outer shell 210) from the top of the cover member 1010. When the user's finger touches any part arranged inside the cover member 1010, the force is transmitted to the force sensor 1001, and the contact force from the user's fingertip can be detected. Therefore, it is designed so that all the components operated by the user's fingers are located inside the cover member 1010 .

The cover member 1010 restricts the range in which the user's finger can move within the cylinder of the cover member 1010 so that the force sensor 1001 can detect the contact force received by the user's finger inside the outer shell 210 . As a result, it has the role of isolating the working space of the finger so that the finger does not touch the inner wall of the outer shell part 210 . In addition, the upper end of the cover member 1010 has a conical shape so that when the user's finger is to be inserted into the cover member 1010, the contact of the finger with the outer shell 210 can be suppressed at a portion near the edge of the opening 211. 1010a, and the diameter widens toward the tip. As a result, while reducing the risk of fingertip contact with the outer shell 210, it becomes easier for a person to operate the parts inside the cover member 1010 without taking an unreasonable posture, thereby hindering the range of motion of the human hand. can reduce the amount.

Inside the cover member 1010, a position/orientation sensor 1011 that detects changes in the three-axis position and orientation of the outer shell 210 and a gripping mechanism 1012 that can be gripped by the user with the thumb and forefinger as an operation UI are arranged. It is In the example shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a position/orientation sensor 1011 and a gripping mechanism 1012 are attached to an L-shaped support member 1013 . The L-shaped bottom portion of the support member 1013 is fixed to the bottom surface of the cover member 1010 . Therefore, it can be said that the position and orientation sensor 1011 is fixed to the outer shell 210 via the support member 1013 , the cover member 1010 and the force sensor 1001 . Also, it can be said that the grasping mechanism 1012 is fixed to the force sensor 1001 via the support member 1013 and the cover member 1010 .

The position/orientation sensor 1011 measures the three-degree-of-freedom orientation of the outer shell 210 and feeds it back to the rotation drive control of the outer shell 210 in the master-side controller 111, for example. As described above, the three drive units 220 to 240 are used to rotationally drive the outer shell 210. The encoders installed in the respective motors 221, 231, and 241 detect the surface of the outer shell 210 and the omniwheel 222, The effect of slippage between 232 and 242 cannot be considered. The movement performance of the outer shell 210 is improved by controlling the attitude of the outer shell 210 in consideration of slippage by measuring the attitude using the position/orientation sensor 1011 .

The position and orientation sensor 1011 is configured using an IMU, for example. The IMU is basically configured to measure three-dimensional angular velocity and acceleration using a three-axis gyro and a three-directional accelerometer. , GPS (Global Positioning System), magnetic sensors, and other types of sensors are installed. As shown in FIG. 6 , the position/orientation sensor 1011 is arranged substantially in the center of the sphere of the outer shell 210 and acquires the rotational orientation of the outer shell 210 about three axes. By arranging the position and orientation sensor 1011 substantially in the center of the outer shell 210, it is possible to reduce noise to the acceleration sensor during rotation.

The gripping mechanism 1012 includes a pair of flat blades 1012a and 1012b that can be gripped with two fingers (for example, thumb and forefinger) of the user inserted from above the cover member 1010. there is The blades 1012a and 1012b are rotatably joined near their edges, and are opened and closed using the rotational force of a motor 1012c. An encoder (not shown in FIGS. 10 and 11) for detecting the rotation angle between the blades 1012a and 1012b (in other words, the opening/closing angle of the gripping mechanism 1012) is incorporated in the output shaft of the motor 1012c. there is

The grasping mechanism section 1012 is fixed to the force sensor 1001 via the supporting member 1013 and the cover member 1010 . Therefore, the force sensor 1001 can detect an external force applied by the user's two fingers gripping the gripping mechanism 1012 . In addition, by driving the motor 1012c to change the opening/closing angle between the blades 1012a and 1012b, the two fingers gripping the gripping mechanism 1012 can present a sense of operation to the user, It is possible to present the reaction force generated at

Although omitted in FIGS. 10 and 11, the gripping mechanism 1012 includes a finger detection sensor for detecting that the user's finger is inserted into the cover member 1010, and each of the blades 1012a and 1012b includes A surface shape pressure sensor that detects the surface shape of the contacting user's fingertip, a tactile sense presentation actuator that presents a tactile sense to the user's fingertip, and the like may be provided.

A plurality of control signal lines, such as signal lines for reading sensor signals from various sensors arranged inside the cover member 1010 and signal lines for sending control signals for driving various actuators, need to be wired inside the outer shell 210. There is FIG. 11 also shows the wiring structure inside the outer shell portion 210 . The signal line 1111 inside the cover member 1010 is bundled, taken out from one point on the bottom of the cover member 1010, further bundled with the signal line 1112 of the force sensor 1001, and several points on the inner wall of the outer shell part 210 (Fig. 11, it is fixed at four points indicated by reference numerals 1101 to 1104) and taken out of the opening 211. In the example shown in FIG. It is a wiring structure in which the signal lines 1111 and 1112 are fixed at several points on the inner wall of the outer shell 210 and then pulled out to the outside of the outer shell 210 . Therefore, inside the outer shell part 210, the signal generators 1111 and 1112 are pulled, and the force sensor 1001 is prevented from being adversely affected by its own weight. Risk can be reduced. The signal lines 1111 and 1112 may include power lines that supply power to internal components of the cover member 1010 and internal components of the outer shell 210 .

FIG. 12 shows how the inside of the outer shell 210 is viewed from the opening 211 . However, the outer shell part 210 is in a state before components such as the force sensor 1001 and the cover member 1010 are attached inside. The outer shell part 210 has an opening 211 of a sufficiently large size from the viewpoint of incorporation, so that components including the cover member 1010 can be attached inside. A flat installation surface 1201 for mounting the force sensor 1001 is provided on the bottom surface of the outer shell 210 . The installation surface 1201 is provided with a plurality of screw holes for screwing the force sensors 1001 (not shown in FIG. 9).

D. Assembly Procedure In this Section D, the assembly procedure of the information input device 200 will be described.

FIG. 13 shows the state before the cover member 1010 is attached inside the outer shell portion 210 . However, inside the hollow cylindrical cover member 1010, various components that are touched by a user's fingers, including a position/orientation sensor 1011 (not shown in FIG. 13) and a gripping mechanism 1012, are arranged via a support member 1013. be in a state where Further, the force sensor 1001 is temporarily fixed to the installation surface 1201 on the bottom surface of the outer shell portion 210 .

Before attaching the cover member 1010 to the inside of the outer shell 210, the signal line 1111 to be drawn into the cover member 1010 and the signal line 1112 of the force sensor 1001 are preliminarily attached to the inner wall of the outer shell 210 (Fig. 13, it is fixed at three points indicated by reference numbers 1102 to 1104). Also, the signal line 1112 is connected to the force sensor 1001 . A connector 1301 for attaching the end of the signal line 1111 to the component is arranged inside the cover member 1010 .

FIG. 14 shows how the cover member 1010 is then attached inside the outer shell portion 210 . When cover member 1010 is inserted into outer shell 210 through opening 211 , signal line 1111 is first pulled into cover member 1010 . After that, the force sensor 1001 is fastened to the installation surface 1201 at the bottom of the outer shell 210 by screwing or the like, and the cover member 1010 is fixed to the upper surface of the force sensor 1001 .

FIG. 15 shows the information input device 200 in a state where assembly is completed. The end of the signal line 1111 drawn into the cover member 1010 is connected to the connector 1301 . The signal line 1111 is then fixed to the structure (in the example shown in FIG. 15, at the location indicated by reference number 1101) to complete the assembly. A connector 1301 is arranged on the side closer to the opening 211 than the force sensor 1010 (in other words, the side closer to the hand inserted from the opening 211 than the force sensor 1001), and the cable of the signal line 1111 is connected. This structure makes it possible to facilitate the assembly work of attaching the cover member 1010 to the outer shell portion 210 while suppressing the cause of noise on the signal line 1111 .

E. 10 and 11 show only an opening/closing structure in which the gripping mechanism 1012 has a simple V shape. In addition to the motor 1012c to be operated and the encoder for detecting the rotation angle of the grip mechanism unit 1012, a tactile sense presentation actuator that presents a tactile sense to the user's thumb, index finger, or middle finger gripping the grip mechanism unit 1012, A finger detection sensor or the like is provided to detect that the index finger is inserted into the outer shell portion 210 .

FIG. 16 shows a specific configuration example of the gripping mechanism section 1012. As shown in FIG. This figure shows the L-shaped support member 1013 to which the gripping mechanism 1012 is attached, viewed obliquely from the lower side, that is, the attachment side to the cover member 1010 .

Inside the cover member 1010 are a position and orientation sensor 1011 that detects the three-axis position and orientation of the outer shell 210, a gripping mechanism 1012 that the user can grip with the thumb and index finger or middle finger, and a gripping mechanism 1012. A motor 1621 that opens and closes the blades 1012a and 1012b, an encoder that detects the opening and closing angles of the blades 1012a and 1012b, and a tactile presentation actuator that presents a tactile sensation to the thumb, index finger, or middle finger of the user holding the blades 1012a and 1012b. , finger detection sensors 1631 and 1632 for detecting insertion of the user's thumb, index finger, or middle finger into the cover member 1010 (that is, the outer shell 210).

The position and orientation sensor 1011 is mounted on the surface of a substrate section 1602 fixed to an L-shaped support member 1013 . The position/orientation sensor 1011 is configured using an IMU, is arranged substantially in the center of the sphere that constitutes the outer shell 210, and detects three-dimensional acceleration and angular velocity acting on the information input device 200 main body. do.

An IMU is basically composed of a 3-axis gyro sensor, a 3-axis geomagnetic sensor, and a 3-direction acceleration sensor. Incidentally, the high-speed motion of the outer shell 210 in a short period of time can be measured using a gyro sensor. On the other hand, drift that occurs over a long period of time can be measured using both an acceleration sensor and a geomagnetic sensor. That is, the drift in the horizontal direction can be corrected by measuring with both the acceleration sensor and the geomagnetic sensor. Further, the rotational drift about the gravity direction axis can be corrected by measuring the magnetic field generated by the magnet of the attraction section 250 for attracting the outer shell section 210 .

Here, by arranging the IMU near the center of the sphere of the outer shell 210, it is possible to suppress the influence on the acceleration sensor when the outer shell 210 is rotated. In addition, since the attracting portion 250 that magnetically attracts the outer shell portion 210 is fixed in one direction (see FIG. 3, etc.), the IMU can be placed near the center of the sphere, so that the geomagnetic sensor can The current angle can be estimated.

The position and orientation of the outer shell 210 are detected by a camera or an optical reader (not shown) installed on the side of the adsorption unit 250 or outside the information input device 200, not by the position and orientation sensor 601 such as an IMU. Can also be configured. A camera or an optical reading device captures images of patterns and markers formed on the outer wall of the outer shell 210 and the direction of the operator's hand. By tracking these subjects through image analysis, the position and orientation of the outer shell 210 can be detected.

In FIG. 16, only the position and orientation sensor 1011 is drawn on the substrate portion 1602 for the sake of simplification of the drawing, but circuit components other than those illustrated may be mounted, and wiring patterns may be formed on the surface. good too.

The gripping mechanism 1012 is composed of a blade 1012a with which the user's thumb inserted from the upper side of the cover member 1010 (that is, the opening 211) abuts, and a blade 1012b with which the user's forefinger similarly inserted abuts. The blades 1012a and 1012b are rotatably supported at their upper end portions by the substrate portion 1602 . Therefore, the blade 1012a and the blade 1012b rotate in opposite directions about the rotation shaft at the upper end, so that the gripping mechanism 1012 can be opened and closed.

The gripping mechanism section 1012 shown in FIG. 16 utilizes the rotational motion of the four-bar link mechanism to implement gripping operations of the gripping mechanism, that is, opening and closing operations of the blades 1012a and 1012b. Here, the gripping operation of the gripping mechanism section 1012 using the rotational motion of the four-bar link mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 20. FIG. However, it should be fully understood that the gripping operation of the gripping mechanism section 1012 can be realized by a configuration other than the four-bar link mechanism.

The four-bar link mechanism referred to here is a fixed link 1701 configured by using a part of the board portion 1602 on which an IMU or the like is mounted, and one joint shaft (drive shaft) fixed to one end of this fixed link 1701. A driving link 1702 which is rotatably connected to 1701a and is driven by a motor 1621 (not shown in FIGS. 17 to 20), and a joint shaft (driven shaft) fixed to the other end of the fixed link 1701. A driven link 1703 is rotatably connected to 1701b and faces the driving link 1702, and an intermediate link 1704 rotatably connects the driving link 1702 and the driven link 1703 with joint shafts 1704a and 1704b, respectively.

When the driving link 1702 is given a rotational driving force by the motor 1621, it rotates around the drive shaft 1701a as indicated by the arrow of reference number 1710, causing the intermediate link 1704 to swing. It is also assumed that the motor 1621 incorporates an encoder (not shown) for detecting the rotation angle of the output shaft.

On the other hand, the driven link 1703 has a T-shape with branched portions extending from the right and left sides of the driven shaft 1701b, and the links orthogonal to the driven link 1703 are T-shaped. It rotatably supports a first transmission link 1706 and a second transmission link 1707 respectively connected to the rear ends of the blades 1012b.

When the motor 1621 applies a driving force to the driving link 1702 in the rotational direction indicated by the arrow 1710, the driven link 1703 is driven via the intermediate link 1704. When the T-shaped driven link 1703 rotates around the driven shaft 1701b, the first transmission link 1706 and the second transmission link 1707 move the blades 1012a and 1012b according to the T-shaped rotation angle. By pulling the ends together (see FIG. 17) or vice versa (see FIG. 20), the opening and closing motion of the gripping mechanism 1012 is achieved.

17 to 20, when the driving link 1702 is driven clockwise by the motor 1621, the gripping mechanism 1012, that is, the blades 1012a and 1012b are opened. Conversely, when the motor 1621 drives the drive link 1702 counterclockwise on the page, the gripping mechanism 1012 is closed. Also, the opening/closing angle between the blades 1012a and 1012b is sequentially detected by an encoder incorporated in the motor 1621. FIG.

By driving the motor 1621 to open and close the gripping mechanism, a gripping force can be presented to the user's thumb and forefinger that are in contact with the first blade 1012a and the blade 1012b, respectively. Also, the encoder detects the opening/closing angle between the blades 1012a and 1012b when the user performs a pinching motion with the thumb and forefinger. The opening/closing angle detected by the encoder serves as information indicating an instruction for driving the end effector (for example, a medical instrument such as forceps) of the slave robot 122 on the slave device 120 side.

The output shaft of the motor 1621 does not need to be directly connected to the drive shaft 1701a of the four-bar link mechanism described above, but is spaced apart from the drive shaft 1701a by using a transmission mechanism (not shown) and connected to the wire. It is also possible to transmit the rotational force via a transmission mechanism such as a belt or the like. The weight of the motor 1621 accounts for a large proportion of the weight of the entire outer shell 210 , and the placement of the motor 1621 greatly affects the position of the center of gravity of the outer shell 210 . It is preferable to consider the center-of-gravity balance so that the center of gravity of outer shell 210 is positioned near the center of the sphere so that a rotational moment due to the weight of outer shell 210 is not generated. From this point of view, it is more preferable to design so that the center of gravity of outer shell 210 including motor 1621 is located near the center of the sphere.

The internal configuration of the cover member 1010 will continue to be described with reference to FIG. 16 again.

A recess 1613 for a finger pad is formed on the contact surface of the blades 1012a and 1012b with the user's index finger or middle finger. Also, although it is hidden from view in FIG. 16, the blade 1012a also has a similar depression for a finger pad on the surface that contacts the user's thumb. When the user inserts his or her thumb and forefinger into the cover member 1010, the user cannot visually see the internal state, but by searching the finger pad recesses 1613 with the fingertips, the surfaces of the blades 1012a and 1012b can be detected. It is possible to find a place suitable for grasping operation.

Arrange the gripping mechanism 1012 so that the center of each finger is near the center of the sphere that constitutes the outer shell 210 when the user pinches the blades 1012a and 1012b with the thumb and forefinger. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the position change of the outer shell portion 210 from being affected by the change in the posture of the user's fingers during the gripping operation. In addition, if the finger pad recesses 1613 are formed at appropriate locations on the blades 1012a and 1012b, the user can perform a gripping operation by aligning the centers of his thumb and forefinger with the locations of the finger pad recesses 1613. It is possible to prevent the positional change of the outer shell 110 from being affected by the change in the posture of the user's fingers when gripping.

Although not shown in FIG. 16, tactile presentation actuators that present tactile sensations are arranged on the contact surfaces of the blades 1012a and 1012b with the user's thumb and forefinger. The haptic presentation actuator is, for example, any one of a piezoelectric vibration actuator, a voice coil motor vibration actuator, a linear vibration actuator, an ERM (Eccentric Rotating Mass) vibration actuator, or an EPAM (Electroactive Polymer Artificial Muscle) vibration actuator. or a combination of two or more. By arranging the tactile sense presenting actuator at the place where the finger pad recess 1613 passes, it is possible to reliably present the tactile sense to the user's fingertip.

The finger detection sensor 1631 is arranged on the side edge of the blade 1012a and detects that the thumb of the user inserted into the cover member 1010 from above is placed on the blade 1012a. Similarly, the finger detection sensor 1632 is arranged on the side edge of the blade 1012b and detects when the user's forefinger inserted inside the cover member 1010 from above is placed on the blade 1012b. The finger detection sensors 1631 and 1632 can be configured using, for example, optical sensors such as photoreflectors, capacitance sensors, or other human sensors. Whether or not the information input device 200 is in use can be determined based on detection signals from the finger detection sensors 1631 and 1632 .

The general-purpose switches 1641 and 1642 are composed of seesaw type, press type, slide type, etc. switches that can be operated by the user with their fingertips. The user can operate general-purpose switches 1641 and 1642 with his or her index finger. The general-purpose switches 1641 and 1642 may be used for any purpose. For example, the general-purpose switches 1641 and 1642 can be used for instruction input other than the three-axis rotation angle (for example, input such as clicking a mouse button).

A battery (not shown) that supplies power to the internal components of the outer shell 210 may be further housed in the outer shell 210 . Alternatively, the internal components of outer shell 210 may be wirelessly powered, and outer shell 210 may further include a wireless communication unit for wireless power supply as an internal component. Since the battery is a heavy object, when the battery is housed in the outer shell 210, the center of gravity of the outer shell 210 having a spherical structure should be kept in the vicinity of the center of the sphere while considering the balance of the center of gravity. , preferably determine the location of the battery.

F. Combination with 3-axis translational structure In the above sections B to E, the information input device 200 having 3-axis rotational degrees of freedom using the outer shell 210 of spherical structure has been described. More preferably, the operation UI unit 112 for the surgical system 100 further has 3-axis translational degrees of freedom in addition to the 3-axis rotational degrees of freedom. Therefore, in Section F, a method of realizing a total of 6 degrees of freedom by mounting the information input device 200 having 3 degrees of freedom of rotation on a structure having 3 degrees of freedom of translation is proposed.

A structure with three-axis translational degrees of freedom includes, for example, a three-axis translational stage and a parallel link. An example of combining each of the three-axis translation stage and the parallel link will be described below.

F-1. Combination with a 3-axis translation stage A 3-axis translation stage is constructed by arranging and connecting three translation stages capable of translational movement in a single axial direction in orthogonal XYZ axial directions. .

FIG. 21 shows a configuration example of a 1-axis translation stage 2100 . The illustrated translation stage 2100 includes a saddle 2101 , a servomotor 2102 , and a ball screw consisting of a screw shaft 2103 and a nut 2104 . A servomotor 2102 is mounted on the saddle 2101 . The screw shaft 2103 is attached to the output shaft of the servomotor 2102 so that its long axis coincides with the rotation axis of the servomotor 2102 . When the servomotor 2102 rotates, the screw shaft 2103 also rotates. Also, the nut 2104 has a threaded hole into which the threaded shaft 2103 is screwed. In short, the ball screw converts rotary motion by the servomotor 2102 into linear motion of the nut 2104 . The output shaft of the servomotor 2102 is attached with an encoder and a torque sensor (both not shown) for detecting the rotation angle. The translational position of the nut 2104 can be converted from the rotation angle of the output shaft (in other words, screw shaft 2103) measured by the encoder.

FIG. 22 shows an example in which three translation stages 2201 to 2203 arranged in the respective XYZ axial directions are coupled to form a three-axis translation stage 2200 . However, for simplification of the drawing, each of the translation stages 2201 to 2203 is drawn as a rectangular parallelepiped elongated in each axial direction. By fixing the Y-axis saddle of Y-axis translation stage 2202 onto the X-axis nut of X-axis translation stage 2201 and fixing the Z-axis saddle of Z-axis translation stage 2203 onto the Y-axis nut of Y-axis translation stage 2202, A three-axis translation stage 2200 is constructed. It is assumed that each of the translation stages 2201 to 2203 has a translation stage configuration as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 22, by mounting the information input device 200 according to the present disclosure on the Z-axis nut of the Z-axis translation stage 2203, the operation UI unit 112 with 6 degrees of freedom is configured. However, the Z-axis nut is provided with three drive units 220 to 240 and a suction unit 250 (not shown in FIG. 24). Then, the outer shell portion 210 of the information input device 200 is sucked by the sucking portion 250 and held so as not to fall from the movable portion 2302 .

The user inserts the thumb and forefinger into the opening 211 (or the cover member 1010) of the outer shell 210, pinches the gripping mechanism 1012, and translates the outer shell 210 in three axial directions. Dimensional position can be indicated. Then, the translational position of the X-axis nut can be converted based on the measurement value of the encoder attached to the output shaft of the servomotor of the X-axis translation stage 2201, and the Y-axis translation stage 2202 mounted on the X-axis nut can be converted. The translation position of the Y-axis nut can be converted based on the measurement value of the encoder attached to the output shaft of the servomotor, and the Z-axis translation stage 2203 mounted on the Y-axis nut is attached to the output shaft of the servomotor. The translational position of the Z-axis nut can be converted based on the measured value of the encoder. Therefore, since the three-dimensional position of the information input device 200 mounted on the Z-axis nut can be converted, three-axis translation degrees of freedom are realized. Therefore, by combining the 3-axis rotational degrees of freedom of the information input device 200 by rotating the outer shell 210 and the 3-axis translational degrees of freedom of the 3-axis translational stage 2200, it is possible to realize an input function with 6 degrees of freedom. can.

The three-axis translation stage 2200 drives the X-axis nut in the X-axis direction by rotating the servo motor of the X-axis translation stage 2201, and drives the Y-axis nut in the Y-axis direction by rotating the servo motor of the Y-axis translation stage 2202. By driving the Z-axis nut in the Z-axis direction by rotating the servomotor of the Z-axis translation stage 2203, a three-axis translational force is presented to the user who is pinching the gripping mechanism 1012 of the Z-axis nut. can do. In addition, the information input device 200 rotates the outer shell 210 by rotationally driving the drive units 220 to 240, and can present the rotational force of the three axes to the user holding the gripping mechanism 1012. . Therefore, by combining the three-axis translation stage 2200 and the information input device 200, it is possible to realize haptic presentation with six degrees of freedom.

F-2. Combination with parallel link The parallel link mechanism moves up and down the points where the arms attached to the output shafts of the three motors arranged at 120 degree intervals on the base intersect in parallel by the rotation of each motor. Therefore, it is a mechanism that can operate in the XYZ directions (see, for example, Patent Document 5). According to the parallel link mechanism, the motor is arranged on the base, and only the lightweight arm is controlled to rotate, and the torque of each axis is synthesized to operate, so high-speed operation is possible.

FIG. 23 shows an example of the degree-of-freedom configuration of the parallel link 2300 . The illustrated parallel link 2300 is a delta parallel link consisting of three serial links 2310,2320,2330. One end of each serial link 2310 , 2320 , 2330 is rotatably attached to the base portion 2301 , and the other end supports the movable portion 2302 .

The serial link 2310 is rotatably connected to the base portion 2301 via a motor (servo motor) 2311 at its root portion. The serial link 2310 consists of a drive link 2312 driven up and down by a motor 2311 and a pair of passive links 2314 connected to the drive link 2312 via joints 2313 . Also, the movable portion 2302 is supported on the tip side of the passive link 2314 . The motor 2311 includes an encoder that detects the rotation angle of the output shaft (or drive link 2312) and a torque sensor that detects torque acting on the output shaft.

Also, the serial link 2320 is rotatably connected to the base portion 2301 via a motor (servo motor) 2321 at its root portion. The serial link 2320 consists of a drive link 2322 driven up and down by a motor 2321 and a pair of passive links 2324 connected to the drive link 2322 via joints 2323 . In addition, the movable portion 2302 is supported on the distal end side of the passive link 2324 . Motor 2321 includes an encoder that detects the rotation angle of the output shaft (or drive link 2322).

The serial link 2330 is rotatably connected to the base portion 2301 via a motor (servo motor) 2331 at its root portion. The serial link 2330 consists of a drive link 2332 driven up and down by a motor 2331 and a pair of passive links 2334 connected to the drive link 2332 via joints 2333 . Also, the movable portion 2302 is supported on the tip side of the passive link 2334 . Motor 2331 includes an encoder that detects the rotation angle of the output shaft (or drive link 2332).

The serial links 2310, 2320, and 2330 are arranged on a circle with the same radius centered on the center point C set on the base portion 2301 at intervals of approximately 120 degrees. Therefore, the parallel link 2300 forms a substantially symmetrical shape with respect to the axis passing through this center point C. As shown in FIG.

Each drive link 2312 , 2322 , 2332 extends radially outward from the center point C of the base portion 2301 . One end of each drive link 2312, 2322, 2332 is connected to the output shaft of the motor 2311, 2321, 2331, respectively. Each drive link 2312, 2322, 2332 is rotatable about an axis passing through the center point C in a vertical plane that is perpendicular to the base portion 2301 and includes the axis. Here, when the respective motors 2311, 2321, 2331 are driven synchronously, the respective drive links 2312, 2322, 2332 and the corresponding passive links 2314, 2324, 2334 rotate in the vertical plane, and as a result, A movable portion 2302 connected to the distal end side of each passive link 2314, 2324, 2334 can be translated in three axial directions.

FIG. 24 shows the operation UI unit 112 with 6 degrees of freedom, configured by mounting the information input device 200 according to the present disclosure on the parallel link 2300 . Information input device 200 is installed on movable portion 2302 of parallel link 2300 . However, the movable section 2302 is provided with three drive sections 220 to 240 and a suction section 250 (not shown in FIG. 24). Then, the outer shell portion 210 of the information input device 200 is sucked by the sucking portion 250 and held so as not to fall from the movable portion 2302 .

The user inserts the thumb and forefinger into the opening 211 (or the cover member 1010) of the outer shell 210 and moves the outer shell 210 while pinching the gripping mechanism 1012, thereby moving the movable part 2302 in three axes. It can be translated in a direction to indicate a three-dimensional position. Rotation angles α, β, and γ of the drive links 2312, 2322, and 2332 with respect to the base portion 2301 can be detected by encoders arranged on the output shafts of the motors 2311, 2321, and 2331, respectively. Based on these measured rotation angles α, β, and γ, the three-dimensional position of translational movement of the movable portion 2302 with respect to the base portion 2301 can be converted, so three-axis translational degrees of freedom are realized. Therefore, by combining the 3-axis rotational freedom of the information input device 200 by rotating the outer shell 210 and the 3-axis translational freedom of the parallel link 2300, an input function with 6 degrees of freedom can be realized.

In addition, the parallel link 2300 drives the driving links 2312, 2322, and 2332 by rotating the motors 2311, 2321, and 2331, so that the user who is holding the grip mechanism section 1012 of the information input device 200 on the movable section 2302 can operate the parallel link 2300. , can present translational forces in three axes. In addition, the information input device 200 rotates the outer shell 210 by rotationally driving the drive units 220 to 240, and can present the rotational force of the three axes to the user holding the gripping mechanism 1012. . Therefore, by combining the parallel link 2300 and the information input device 200, haptic presentation with six degrees of freedom can be realized.

As shown in FIGS. 22 and 24 , in a configuration in which an information input device 200 having 3-axis rotational degrees of freedom is combined with a 3-axis translational structure, the sensor value detected by the force sensor 1001 arranged in the outer shell 210 is can be converted into the coordinate system of the translational structure based on the posture information of the outer shell 210 measured by the position and posture sensor 1011 . On the other hand, on the translational structure side, a disturbance observer (see Patent Literature 6, for example) and a torque sensor are used to estimate the acting force received from the mounted information processing device 200 (or the outer shell portion 210). Then, by comparing the external force (after coordinate conversion) detected by the force sensor 1001 and the acting force estimated on the side of the translational structure, the force acting outside the detection range of the force sensor 1001 can be specified. If the acting force outside the detection range of the force sensor 1001 exceeds a predetermined value, a warning may be issued to the user.

G. Bilateral Control System Surgery System In section F above, it has been explained that the operation UI unit 112 with 6 degrees of freedom can be configured by combining the information input device 200 according to the present disclosure with the 3-axis translational structure. Therefore, in the surgical system 100 shown in FIG. 1, the slave robot 122 having six degrees of freedom can be operated from the master device 110 side.

FIG. 25 shows a configuration example of the slave robot 122. As shown in FIG. The illustrated slave robot 122 is a surgical robot that supports medical instruments such as forceps and an endoscope at its distal end, and includes a base portion 2510 and an arm portion 2520 .

The base portion 2510 is a base that supports the arm portion 2520 . Arm portion 2520 extends from base portion 2510 . The main constituent elements of the slave device 120 such as the slave side control section 121 and the slave side communication section 124 may be housed inside the base section 2510 . Two pairs of casters are provided on the bottom surface of the base portion 2510, and are grounded on the floor via the casters, and can be moved on the floor by rotating these casters. However, the slave robot 122 is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the slave robot 122 may have a suspended structure in which the base portion 2510 is not provided and the arm portion 2520 is directly attached to the ceiling or wall surface of the operating room.

The arm portion 2520 includes a plurality of joint portions 2521a, 2521b, 2521c, 2521d, 2521e, and 2521f, a plurality of links 2522a, 2522b, 2522c, and 2522d rotatably connected to each other by the joint portions 2521a to 2521e, and an arm portion. A holding unit 2524 is rotatably provided at the tip of 2520 via a joint 2521f. The holding unit 2524 is also configured to hold various medical instruments. In the illustrated example, a holding unit 2524 is attached with a medical instrument 2523 such as forceps or an endoscope.

Links 2522a to 2522c are rod-shaped members, one end of link 2522a is connected to base portion 2510 via joint portion 2521a, the other end of link 2522a is connected to one end of link 2522b via joint portion 2521b, and , the other end of the link 2522b is connected to one end of the link 2522c via joints 2521c and 2521d. Further, the other end of the link 2522c is connected to one end of the L-shaped link 2522d through a joint portion 2521e, and the other end of the link 2522d and the holding unit 2524 holding the forceps 2523 are connected through the joint portion 2521f. are concatenated. In this manner, the ends of the plurality of links 2522a to 2522d are rotatably connected to each other by the joints 2521a to 2521f with the base portion 2510 as a fulcrum, so that the shape of the arm extending from the base portion 2510 is formed. Configured.

In FIG. 25, for the sake of simplification, the illustration of the specific shape of the medical surgical instrument 2523 is omitted, and the surgical instrument 2523 is simply shown as a rod-shaped member. forceps having an opening/closing structure for performing the treatment, an endoscopic camera for imaging the surgical site, and the like. When performing surgery using the slave robot 122, the arm section 2520 and the medical surgical instrument 2523 are positioned and oriented so that the medical surgical instrument 2523 can assume a desired position and posture with respect to the living tissue of the patient. is controlled.

An actuator is provided for each of the joints 2521a to 2521f. By driving the actuators, it is possible to rotate each of the joints 2521a to 2521f around their respective rotation axes. The actuator is composed of, for example, a motor, an encoder, a torque sensor, and the like. The encoder and torque sensor correspond to the sensor section 123 in FIG.

By controlling the driving of the actuators of the joints 2521a to 2521f, for example, the arm 2520 can be extended or contracted (folded). At this time, the slave-side control section 121 can calculate the control amount of the motor of each actuator based on the state of each joint section 2521a to 2521f detected by the sensor section 123 such as the encoder and torque sensor of the actuator.

In the example shown in FIG. 25, the slave robot 122 realizes six degrees of freedom in the position and orientation of the distal medical surgical instrument 2523 by driving the arm section 2520 consisting of six joint sections 2521a to 2521f. If the surgical instrument 2523 is a forceps, it further has one degree of freedom for grasping an object (living tissue). Since the arm portion 2520 is configured to have six degrees of freedom, the medical operating tool 2523 such as forceps can be freely moved within the movable range of the arm portion 2520 . As a result, the surgical instrument 2523 for medical use can be inserted into the patient (abdominal cavity or intrathoracic cavity) from various angles, and the degree of freedom in operating the surgical instrument 2523 for medical treatment is improved. In addition, using the 6-DOF operation UI unit 112, which is configured by combining the information input device 200 having 3-axis rotation degrees of freedom and a 3-axis translation structure, as described in the above section F, the 6-DOF The arm portion 2520 can be operated.

The slave-side control unit 121 responds to instructions from the master device 110 side (operation UI unit 112) based on the states of the joints 2521a to 2521f detected by the encoders and torque sensors of the actuators of the joints 2521a to 2521f. The amount of control of the motors of the actuators of the corresponding joints 2521a to 2521f is calculated. By driving the motor of each actuator according to the calculated control amount, the arm unit 2520 operates according to the user's instruction.

In addition, if the medical surgical instrument 2523 also has a driving portion such as forceps having an opening/closing structure, similarly, based on the instruction input via the operation UI unit 112, the driving portion is operated. The control amount of the motor is calculated by the slave-side control unit 121, and the motor is driven according to the calculated control amount, so that the driving part of the medical surgical instrument 2523 operates according to the user's instruction. Become.

The surgical system 100 is a master-slave system, but bilateral control is possible by mounting a force sensor on the tip of the slave robot 122 . Bilateral control is a control method in which a slave is operated by the master in master-slave control, and the state of the slave is fed back to the master at the same time, and power can be presented to the user operating the master. An ideal bilateral control system can simultaneously match the positions and forces of the master and slave. Bilateral control methods include, for example, a position symmetric type, a force feedback type, and a 4CH type.

FIG. 26 shows a functional configuration example of a 4CH bilateral control system 2600 for bilaterally controlling the master device 110 and slave device 120 .

Position controller 2601 outputs an acceleration reference signal for each of master device 110 and slave device 120 . Force controller 2602 also outputs an acceleration reference signal for each of master device 110 and slave device 120 . Then, the master device 110 is supplied with A _Mref to which both of the acceleration reference signals supplied from the position controller 2601 and the force controller 2602 are added. Also, the slave device 120 is supplied with A _Sref that includes both the acceleration reference signals supplied from the position controller 2601 and the force controller 2602 .

The master device 110 (or the master-side control unit 111 in the master device 110) performs acceleration control on the acceleration reference signal A _Mref to displace the position and orientation X _M of the operation UI unit 112 . Further, an external force _FM is generated in the master device 110 as the operator operates the operation UI unit 112 . Similarly, the slave device 120 (or the slave-side control unit 121 in the slave device 120) performs acceleration control on the acceleration reference signal A _Sref to change the position and posture X _S of the slave robot 122 . In addition, an external force F _S is generated in the slave device 120 due to contact between the distal end (medical surgical tool) of the slave robot 122 and an object (operative site, etc.).

Position controller 2601 outputs an acceleration reference signal to each of master device 110 and slave device 120 for driving in a direction to correct the position deviation between master device 110 and slave device 120 . However, when calculating the position deviation between the master device 110 and the slave device 120, the scaler 2603 applies the position and orientation signal X _S output from the slave device 120 to the position and orientation space scaling between the master device 110 and the slave device 120. Multiply by a factor α for

Further, the force controller 2602 controls the acceleration of each of the master device 110 and the slave device 120 in order to correct the resultant force of the force F _M generated by the master device 110 and the force F _S generated by the slave device 120 . Output a reference signal. However, when calculating the force deviation between the master device 110 and the slave device 120, the scaler 2604 adds the force signal F _S of the slave device 120 with a coefficient β Multiply by .

Then, as described above, the master device 110 is supplied with A _Mref to which both of the acceleration reference signals supplied from the position controller 2601 and the force controller 2602 are added. Also, the slave device 120 is supplied with A _Sref that includes both the acceleration reference signals supplied from the position controller 2601 and the force controller 2602 .

In the control system 2600 shown in FIG. 26, on the master device 110 side, the information input device 200 having 3-axis rotational degrees of freedom and the structure having 3-axis translational degrees of freedom (see F above) are combined. It is assumed that the operation UI unit 112 is used. In that case, the following ideas can be considered.

(1) The position of the center of gravity of the outer shell 210 (after the cover member 1010 is attached) is grasped in advance, and the current posture is acquired using the position and posture sensor 1011 such as an IMU, thereby controlling the slave robot 122. , and the rotation of the outer shell part 210 due to its own weight can be prevented.

(2) If a person accidentally touches the surface of the translating structure or the outer shell 210 during operation, there is a risk that the force sensor 1001 will detect an erroneous force and cause the slave robot 122 to go out of control. Therefore, by applying a disturbance observer to the control system that drives the translational structure, the contact force when a person touches the translational structure or the outer shell 210 is roughly estimated, and an unexpected region (the outer shell The contact force on the inner wall of the portion 210, etc.) may be grasped. By specifying the force acting outside the detection range of the force sensor 1001, runaway can be prevented.

Specifically, the sensor values detected by the force sensors 1001 arranged in the outer shell 210 are converted into the coordinate system of the translational structure based on the orientation information of the outer shell 210 measured by the position and orientation sensor 1011 . . Subsequently, on the translational structure side, a disturbance observer (see Patent Document 6, for example) and a torque sensor are used to estimate the acting force received from the mounted information processing device 200 (or the outer shell portion 210). Then, the external force (after coordinate conversion) detected by the force sensor 1001 is compared with the acting force estimated on the side of the translational structure to identify the force acting outside the detection range of the force sensor 1001 . For example, in consideration of acting force outside the detection range of the force sensor 1001, control from the master device 110 to the slave device 120 (in other words, operation of the slave robot 122 using the operation UI unit 112 including the information input device 200) ) to prevent the slave robot 122 from running out of control. Alternatively, if the acting force outside the detection range of the force sensor 1001 exceeds a predetermined value, a warning may be issued to the user.

It should be noted that both the processing of sensor information from the force sensor 1001 and the position/orientation sensor 1011 in the outer shell 210 and the control system on the side of the translational structure are performed by the master-side control unit 111 .

FIG. 27 shows a control block diagram of disturbance observer 2700 . In the figure, J _n is the nominal value of the inertia in the operation UI unit 112 that combines the information input device 210 and the triaxial translational structure.

The disturbance observer 2700 receives an acceleration target value of the target position/orientation x ^ref of the outer shell 210 when presenting the force sense to the user through the information input device 200, for example. The disturbance observer 2700 multiplies the acceleration target value of the input position/orientation x by the virtual inertia nominal value J _n to convert it into a force target value f ^ref in the current control cycle. Then, by adding the correction of the disturbance f _d obtained in the previous control cycle by the disturbance observer 2700 to the force target value f ^ref , the force command value f for the joint in the current control cycle is obtained.

When the transfer function 1/J _n of the operation UI unit 112 is multiplied by the force command value f, the three-axis translational structure unit translates while being affected by the external force from the user's finger touching the outer shell unit 210 . Shell 210 rotates. Specifically, the force target value f ^ref is converted into a current command value, which serves as an instruction input to the motors of the three-axis translational structure and the drive units 220 to 240 of the information input device 200 . The generated force f _e and the displacement amount x _A of the outer shell 210 at that time are measured by the position/orientation sensor 1011, the drive units 220 to 240, and the encoders in the three-axis translation unit. Then, the velocity of the outer shell 210 is obtained by differentiating the measured displacement amount x _A of the outer shell 210 with respect to time.

The disturbance observer 2700 applies a transfer function J _n s consisting of the joint virtual inertia nominal value J _n to the measured velocity of the displacement amount x _A of the outer shell 210 to obtain the contact force of the user's fingertip, etc. can be estimated. Furthermore, by subtracting this estimated external force f _d from the force target value f ^ref , the disturbance f _d can be estimated. The disturbance f _d obtained in the current control cycle is fed back and used to correct the force target value f ^ref in the next control cycle. A low-pass filter (LPF) represented by g/(s+g) inserted in the middle is for preventing divergence of the system.

By the way, the information input device 200 according to the present disclosure has a structure in which the outer shell 210 having a spherical structure is adsorbed by the adsorption unit 250. By pulling against the adsorption force of the adsorption unit 250, the outer shell can be immediately pulled. 210 can be removed. Therefore, when the three-axis translation structure or the drive units 220 to 240 run out of control, the operator can evacuate while holding the gripping mechanism 1010, thereby ensuring safety.

In addition, by arranging connectors at the ends of the cables of the signal lines 1111 and 1112 extending outside the outer shell 210 so that they can be inserted and removed, the outer shell 210 can be easily replaced as necessary. can be done. The ability to replace the outer shell 210 in a short period of time enables the following measures.

(1) Changes in the specifications of the outer shell (diameter, weight, center of gravity, etc.) (2) Force sensors for each of the multiple outer shells that are suitable for the user and purpose of use (such as the procedure for surgery) , optimizing the detection resolution and rating by exchanging the outer shell (3) changing the shape of the UI part that the user directly operates such as the grip mechanism part (4) strengthening the grip force presentation for each user. torque change

For example, the outer shell 210 (or the cover member 1010) is equipped with a memory for storing information on the ID and structure, and every time the outer shell 210 used by the information input device 200 is replaced, Based on the read information, it is possible to change control parameters related to haptic presentation and the like.

H. Effects This section H summarizes the effects brought about by the present disclosure.

(1) An information input device according to the present disclosure has a structure in which a plurality of drive units rotationally drive an outer shell portion having a spherical structure in which a multiaxial force sensor is arranged. Therefore, the information input device is capable of precise haptic sensing with little noise, and can be used to present a light operational feeling and to present an accurate haptic.

(2) In the information input device according to the present disclosure, a cover member that prevents contact with the inner wall of the outer shell is mounted on the force sensor, and each component that a user touches with a finger is arranged inside the cover member. be. Therefore, the contact force received from the user's finger inside the outer shell can be reliably detected by the force sensor while reducing the risk of the fingertip contacting the outer shell. In addition, it is possible to prevent the slave device from malfunctioning or running out of control due to an erroneous input operation caused by the user touching the wrong position with the fingertip.

(3) Since the cover member has a structure that expands near the edge of the opening, it reduces the risk of fingertip contact with the outer shell, and allows the parts inside the cover member to be opened without the need for a person to assume an unreasonable posture. can be easily operated, and the amount that hinders the range of motion of the human hand can be reduced. ,

(4) The information input device according to the present disclosure has a wiring structure in which signal lines related to force sensors and parts inside the cover member are bundled and fixed to several points on the inner wall of the outer shell for output to the outside. I have. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the adverse effects on the force sensor in the state where the wiring is pulled or in the state where it is hanging due to its own weight, thereby reducing the risk of runaway or breakage of the force sensor.

(5) The connector for connecting the cable of the signal line is arranged closer to the opening of the outer shell than the force sensor (in other words, closer to the hand inserted through the opening). Therefore, assembly is facilitated while suppressing the cause of noise on the signal line.

(6) Regardless of the action of the attracting part that attracts the outer shell, it attracts the outer shell with a weaker attraction force than the breaking load of the force sensor. Among the members arranged inside the outer shell, the force sensor is the most fragile. Therefore, the force sensor can be protected by making the attraction force of the attraction part equal to or less than the breaking load of the force sensor.

(7) The information input device according to the present disclosure includes at least one position and orientation sensor for detecting the orientation of the outer shell. Therefore, it is possible to measure the attitude of the outer shell with three degrees of freedom and feed it back to drive control of the outer shell. The influence of slip cannot be taken into account with the encoder of the motor that drives the outer shell. On the other hand, the movement performance of the outer shell is improved by controlling the attitude of the outer shell in consideration of the slippage by measuring the attitude using the position and orientation sensor.

(8) The three drive units that rotate the outer shell of the spherical structure are each composed of a motor and an omni wheel attached to the output shaft of the motor. to Therefore, it is possible to achieve three-axis rotation of the outer shell with a simple structure that saves space and uses a small number of motors.

(9) When the attracting part uses magnetism to attract the outer shell, the force sensor and the components arranged inside the outer shell are made of non-magnetic materials. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the generation of noise due to the interaction between the magnetism of the attraction portion and the force sensor.

(10) In a configuration in which an information input device having 3-axis rotational degrees of freedom is combined with a 3-axis translational structure, the detected values of the force sensors placed inside the outer shell are translated based on the orientation information measured in the position and orientation examination. The system is converted to the coordinate system on the structure side, and on the translational structure side, a disturbance observer and a torque sensor are used to estimate the acting force received from the mounted information input device. Then, by comparing the external force detected by the force sensor and the acting force estimated on the side of the translational structure, it is possible to specify the force acting outside the detection range of the force sensor. By implementing control from the master to the slave considering the acting force outside the detection range of the force sensor, it is possible to continue stable operation of the slave robot and improve the safety of the surgical system. .

The present disclosure has been described in detail above with reference to specific embodiments. However, it is obvious that those skilled in the art can modify or substitute the embodiments without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

In the present specification, the embodiments in which the present disclosure is applied to a master-slave surgical system have been mainly described, but the gist of the present disclosure is not limited to this. An information input device to which the present disclosure is applied can also be used as a master console for robots introduced in various industrial fields other than medical applications.

Furthermore, the information input device to which the present disclosure is applied can be used as a game controller, an input device for a personal computer, a 3D model operation in CAD (Computer Aided Design), a device having a rotating structure such as a robot, a VR ( It is also possible to use it for a 6-axis input UI for operating virtual reality, an input UI for operating the attitude of a camera mounted on a drone or a camera suspended from the ceiling.

In short, the present disclosure has been described in the form of an example, and the content of the specification should not be construed in a restrictive manner. In order to determine the gist of the present disclosure, the scope of the claims should be considered.

It should be noted that the present disclosure can also be configured as follows.

(1) an outer shell having a hollow spherical structure;
a drive unit that rotationally drives the outer shell;
an adsorption unit that adsorbs the outer shell so that the surface of the outer shell is in contact with the driving unit;
an opening for inserting a user's finger provided in the outer shell;
a sensor unit disposed inside the outer shell;
An information input device comprising

(1-1) The adsorption section adsorbs the outer shell with an area of 3/4 or less of the diameter of the outer shell,
The information input device according to (1) above.

(2) the drive unit is composed of three or more drive units, and drives the outer shell to rotate about three axes;
The information input device according to (1) above.

(3) each of the three or more drive units comprises a motor and an omni wheel attached to the output shaft of the motor;
The adsorption unit adsorbs the outer shell so as to press the surface of the outer shell against the omniwheel of each driving unit,
the omni wheel contacts the surface of the outer shell and transmits the rotational force of the motor to the outer shell by frictional force;
The information input device according to (2) above.

(4) the sensor unit includes a position and orientation sensor that detects the position and orientation of the outer shell;
The information input device according to any one of (1) to (3) above.

(5) The position and orientation sensor is arranged in the center of the sphere of the outer shell.
The information input device according to (4) above.

(6) The sensor section further includes a force sensor that detects an external force acting inside the outer shell section.
The information input device according to any one of (1) to (5) above.

(7) a cylindrical cover member is attached on the force sensor;
parts that are touched by a user's finger are located within the cover member;
The information input device according to (6) above.

(8) The outer diameter of the cover member is of a size that allows it to be inserted into and removed from the outer shell through the opening.
The information input device according to (7) above.

(9) further comprising: an openable/closable gripping mechanism disposed inside the cover member; an actuator for opening and closing the gripping mechanism; and an encoder for detecting an opening/closing angle of the gripping mechanism.
The information input device according to (7) or (8) above.

(10) The cover member has a structure that widens at a portion near the edge of the opening.
The information input device according to any one of (7) to (9) above.

(11) A wiring structure is provided in which signal lines related to the force sensor and the parts inside the cover member are fixed to several points on the inner wall of the outer shell and output to the outside.
The information input device according to any one of (7) to (10) above.

(12) disposing a connector for connecting a cable of the signal line closer to the opening than the force sensor;
The information input device according to (11) above.

(13) The adsorption section adsorbs the outer shell section with a weaker adsorption force than the breaking load of the force sensor.
The information input device according to any one of (6) to (12) above.

(14) The attracting part uses magnetism to attract the outer shell part,
At least a range of the surface of the outer shell that comes into contact with the adsorption unit due to rotational driving by the driving unit is made of a magnetic material,
The information input device according to any one of (1) to (13) above.

(15) The attracting portion uses magnetism to attract the outer shell portion,
The force sensor is made of a non-magnetic material,
The information input device according to any one of (6) to (13) above.

(16) The information input device according to (1) above;
a translating structure on which the information input device is mounted;
a control unit that controls the drive unit and the translation structure unit based on sensor information detected by the sensor unit;
A control device comprising:

(17) The sensor unit includes a force sensor that detects an external force acting inside the outer shell and an orientation sensor that detects the orientation of the outer shell,
The control unit converts the sensor values detected by the force sensor into the coordinate system of the translational structure based on the posture information of the outer shell measured by the posture sensor, and uses the disturbance observer and the torque sensor to convert the sensor values into the coordinate system of the translational structure. estimating the force acting on the translational structure and comparing the difference between the two forces to identify the force acting outside the detection range of the force sensor;
The control device according to (16) above.

(18) A master-slave surgical system,
The master device includes an outer shell having a hollow spherical structure, a drive unit that rotationally drives the outer shell, and a surface of the outer shell that attracts the outer shell so as to be in contact with the drive unit. an input device including a suction unit, an opening provided in the outer shell for inserting a user's finger, and a sensor unit disposed inside the outer shell;
the slave device operates based on an operation on the input device;
surgical system.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100... Surgery system 110... Master apparatus 111... Master side control part 112... Operation UI part 113... Presentation part 114... Master side communication part 120... Slave apparatus 121... Slave side control part 122... Slave robot 123... Sensor unit 124 Slave side communication unit 130 Transmission line 200 Information input device 210 Outer shell 211 Opening 220 Driving unit 221 Motor 222 Omni wheel 230 Driving unit 231 Motor 232 Omniwheel 240 Drive unit 241 Motor 242 Omniwheel 250 Adsorption unit 260 Base unit 1001 Force sensor 1010 Cover member 1011 Position and orientation sensor 1012 Grasping mechanism unit 1012a , 1012b... Blade 1012c... Motor 1013... Support member 1111, 1112... Signal line 1201... Installation surface (for force sensor)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1301... Connector 1602... Substrate, 1613... Finger pad recess, 1621... Motor 1631, 1632... Finger detection sensor 1641, 1642... General-purpose switch 2100... Translation stage, 2101... Saddle, 2102... Servo motor 2103... Screw shaft, 2104... Nut 2200... 3-axis translation stage 2201... X-axis translation stage 2202... Y-axis translation stage 2203... Z-axis translation stage 2300... Parallel link 2301... Base part 2302... Movable part 2310... Serial link 2311... Motor 2312 Passive link 2313 Joint 2314 Passive link 2320 Serial link 2321 Motor 2322 Passive link 2323 Joint 2324 Passive link 2330 Serial link 2331 Motor 2332 Passive link 2333 Joint 2334 Passive link 2510 Base 2520 Arm 2521a, 2521b, 2521c, 2521d Joint 2521e, 2521f Joint 2522a, 2522b, 2522c, 2522d Link 2523 Medical tool 2524 Holding unit 2600 4CH bilateral control system 2601 position controller 2602 force controller 2603 scaler 2604 scaler

Claims (18)

an outer shell having a hollow spherical structure;
a drive unit that rotationally drives the outer shell;
an adsorption unit that adsorbs the outer shell so that the surface of the outer shell is in contact with the driving unit;
an opening for inserting a user's finger provided in the outer shell;
a sensor unit disposed inside the outer shell;
An information input device comprising The drive unit is composed of three or more drive units, and drives the outer shell to rotate about three axes.
The information input device according to claim 1. each of the three or more drive units comprises a motor and an omni wheel attached to the output shaft of the motor;
The adsorption unit adsorbs the outer shell so as to press the surface of the outer shell against the omniwheel of each driving unit,
the omni wheel contacts the surface of the outer shell and transmits the rotational force of the motor to the outer shell by frictional force;
The information input device according to claim 2. the sensor unit includes a position and orientation sensor that detects the position and orientation of the outer shell;
The information input device according to claim 1. The position and orientation sensor is arranged in the center of the sphere of the outer shell,
The information input device according to claim 4. The sensor unit further includes a force sensor that detects an external force acting inside the outer shell,
The information input device according to claim 1. A cylindrical cover member is attached on the force sensor,
parts that are touched by a user's finger are located within the cover member;
The information input device according to claim 6. The outer diameter of the cover member is a size that can be put in and taken out of the outer shell through the opening.
The information input device according to claim 7. Further comprising: an openable and closable gripping mechanism disposed inside the cover member; an actuator for opening and closing the gripping mechanism; and an encoder for detecting an opening/closing angle of the gripping mechanism.
The information input device according to claim 7. The cover member has a structure that spreads at a portion near the edge of the opening,
The information input device according to claim 7. A wiring structure is provided in which each signal line related to the force sensor and the parts inside the cover member is fixed to several places on the inner wall of the outer shell and output to the outside,
The information input device according to claim 7. arranging a connector for connecting a cable of the signal line closer to the opening than the force sensor;
The information input device according to claim 11. The adsorption section adsorbs the outer shell with a weaker adsorption force than the breaking load of the force sensor.
The information input device according to claim 6. The attraction part uses magnetism to attract the outer shell part,
At least a range of the surface of the outer shell that comes into contact with the adsorption unit due to rotational driving by the driving unit is made of a magnetic material,
The information input device according to claim 1. The attraction part uses magnetism to attract the outer shell part,
The force sensor is made of a non-magnetic material,
The information input device according to claim 6. An information input device according to claim 1;
a translating structure on which the information input device is mounted;
a control unit that controls the drive unit and the translation structure unit based on sensor information detected by the sensor unit;
A control device comprising: The sensor unit includes a force sensor that detects an external force acting inside the outer shell and an orientation sensor that detects the orientation of the outer shell,
The control unit converts the sensor values detected by the force sensor into the coordinate system of the translational structure based on the posture information of the outer shell measured by the posture sensor, and uses the disturbance observer and the torque sensor to convert the sensor values into the coordinate system of the translational structure. estimating the force acting on the translational structure and comparing the difference between the two forces to identify the force acting outside the detection range of the force sensor;
17. Control device according to claim 16. A master-slave surgical system,
The master device includes an outer shell having a hollow spherical structure, a drive unit that rotationally drives the outer shell, and a surface of the outer shell that attracts the outer shell so as to be in contact with the drive unit. an input device including a suction unit, an opening provided in the outer shell for inserting a user's finger, and a sensor unit disposed inside the outer shell;
the slave device operates based on an operation on the input device;
surgical system.

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