| CPC A61B 1/00149 (2013.01) [A61B 1/313 (2013.01); A61B 34/30 (2016.02); A61B 90/50 (2016.02); A61B 90/98 (2016.02); A61B 1/00128 (2013.01); A61B 2034/2051 (2016.02); A61B 2090/508 (2016.02)] | 19 Claims |
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1. A two-part robotic device for positioning of a medical instrument, comprising:
a. a rigidly mountable fixed base unit attachable to a fixed point in space; and
b. a detachable body unit reversibly coupleable to said fixed base unit, coupleable to said current medical instrument,
wherein said fixed base unit is adapted to provide independent movement to said medical instrument, said independent movement selected from a group consisting of rotation and translation, and said detachable body unit is removable and replaceable from said fixed base unit such that upon exchange of said medical instrument for a second medical instrument, said second medical instrument is placed in substantially the same location as the location of said medical instrument prior to said exchange,
wherein said detachable body comprises k consecutive arm sections, where k is a positive integer, and k-1 joints, an sth joint coupling an sth arm section to an (s+1)st arm section, s being between 1 and k-1, such that different arm sections of said detachable body are removable and replaceable, and
wherein at least one said joint comprises locking means; said locking means are adapted to lock at least one of said k-1 joints in a desired direction; said locking means having at least two states, a locked state and an unlocked state;
wherein, in said locked state, either said sth joint and said (s+1)st arm section rotate as a unit about a main longitudinal axis of said sth arm section or said sth joint and said sth arm section is rotatable as a unit about a main longitudinal axis of said (s+1)st arm section; and, in said unlocked state, the angle between said sth arm section (s+1)st arm section is changeable,
wherein said detachable body unit is an endoscope positioning device comprising means for providing to said endoscope at least 7 degrees of freedom (DOF) selected from a group consisting of at least 6 rotation movements (1007, 1009, 1010, 1011, 1012, 1013, 1601, 1602), at least 1 translation movement (1008) and any combination thereof; further wherein:
a. each of said k consecutive arm sections comprises n coaxial input shafts adapted to be rotated around an input axis of rotation by m sources of torque, wherein n, m, and k are positive integers, and further wherein said endoscope is coupled to one of said k consecutive arm sections; and
b. each of said joints being a constant velocity coupler comprising:
n coaxial input transmission means, each of which is coupled to one of said n input shafts, said input transmission means defining a first plane substantially perpendicular to said input axis of rotation;
n coaxial second transmission means rotatably connected to said n input transmission means, said second transmission means rotating in a second plane, said second plane substantially perpendicular to said first plane;
n coaxial output transmission means rotatably connected to said n second transmission means, said output transmission means rotating in a third plane; said third plane being substantially perpendicular to said second plane; and
n coaxial output shafts, each of which is coupled to one of said n output transmission means, said n output shafts being adapted to rotate around an output axis of rotation such that (i) turning a given input shaft at a constant velocity will provide a constant velocity at the corresponding output shaft and (ii) the angle between said input axis of rotation and said output axis of rotation varies in said second plane in an angular range of about 0 to about 360 degrees.
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