Apparatus, surgical microscopy system, and method for compensating a balancing error in a stand for a surgical microscope

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11199289-B2
Application number	US-201916575062-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2019
Priority date	Sep 18, 2019
Publication date	Dec 14, 2021
Grant date	Dec 14, 2021

Abstract

A stand for a surgical microscope includes a first stand part including a first bearing and a second bearing, a shaft arranged in the first bearing and defining a rotation axis, a second stand part fixedly connected to the shaft, mounted on the first stand part together with the shaft pivotably about the rotation axis, and including a force transmission point, a lever part mounted on the second stand part at the force transmission point, arranged pivotably about the rotation axis, and including a third bearing, and a torque compensation assembly applying a counter torque to the second stand part to compensate a load torque including a dynamic load torque occurring when the second stand part is pivoted about the rotation axis and a static load torque resulting from a gravitation force acting on the second stand part and on elements mounted on the second stand part.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for compensating a balancing error in a stand for a surgical microscope, the apparatus comprising:
a first stand part including a first bearing and a second bearing;
a shaft arranged in the first bearing and defining a rotation axis;
a second stand part fixedly connected to the shaft, mounted on the first stand part together with the shaft pivotably about the rotation axis, and including a force transmission point;
a lever part mounted on the second stand part at the force transmission point, arranged pivotably about the rotation axis, and including a third bearing;
a torque compensation assembly applying a counter torque to the second stand part to compensate a load torque including a dynamic load torque occurring when the second stand part is pivoted about the rotation axis and a static load torque resulting from a gravitation force acting on the second stand part and on elements mounted on the second stand part;
the torque compensation assembly includes a first torque compensation assembly and a second torque compensation assembly,
the rotation axis is a first rotation axis,
the second bearing defines a second rotation axis,
the first torque compensation assembly is mounted on the first stand part in the second bearing pivotably about the second rotation axis within a first swivel range,
the first torque compensation assembly includes a rod displaceable relative to the first stand part and mounted on the lever part in the third bearing, and
the second torque compensation assembly is fixedly mounted on the shaft.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the counter torque includes a first portion and a second portion,
the first torque compensation assembly applies the first portion of the counter torque to the second stand part thereby partially counteracting the load torque,
the third bearing is arranged on the lever part at a position relative to the first bearing at which the first swivel range is a minimum swivel range thereby causing the balancing error preventing the first portion of the counter torque to cancel out the load torque,
the second torque compensation assembly applies the second portion of the counter torque to the second stand part, and
the second portion of the counter torque compensates the balancing error and an offset between different loads.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the balancing error varies depending on a rotation angle between the first stand part and the second stand part when the second stand part is pivoted about the first rotation axis and depending on a weight of objects mounted on the second stand part.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the objects mounted on the second stand part include a surgical microscope head and a suspension mechanism.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first torque compensation assembly pivots within the minimum swivel range between zero degrees and five degrees.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first torque compensation assembly is a compression spring.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second torque compensation assembly is an electrical motor or an electrical motor with a gear.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the electrical motor includes a motor shaft, and
the motor shaft is mounted on the shaft by a coupling mechanism.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a connection element including a fourth bearing and a fifth bearing, wherein:
the second stand part includes a main support arm and a secondary support arm,
the first stand part includes a sixth bearing,
the main support arm is pivotably mounted on the connection element in the fifth bearing, and
the secondary support arm is pivotably mounted on the first stand part in the sixth bearing and on the connection element in the fourth bearing to compensate a tilting torque occurring on the connection element.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein:
the secondary support arm is arranged inside the main support arm,
each of the main support arm and the secondary support arm has a curved shape.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein:
the first, fourth, fifth, and sixth bearings form a parallelogram,
the parallelogram defines a second swivel range within which the second stand part is pivotable about the rotation axis, and
the second swivel range is between zero degrees and sixty degrees.

12. A surgical microscopy system for compensating a balancing error in a stand for a surgical microscope, the surgical microscopy system comprising:
the stand including:
a first stand part including a first bearing and a second bearing;
a shaft arranged in the first bearing and defining a rotation axis;
a second stand part fixedly connected to the shaft, mounted on the first stand part together with the shaft pivotably about the rotation axis, and including a force transmission point;
a lever part mounted on the second stand part at the force transmission point, arranged pivotably about the rotation axis, and including a third bearing;
a torque compensation assembly applying a counter torque to the second stand part to compensate a load torque;
a connection element including a fourth bearing and a fifth bearing;
the second stand part including a main support arm and a secondary support arm,
the second stand part including a sixth bearing;
the secondary support arm being pivotably mounted on the second stand part in the sixth bearing and on the connection element in the fourth bearing, and
the main support arm being pivotably mounted on the connection element in the fifth bearing; and
a surgical microscope head mounted on the connection element via a suspension mechanism; and
the load torque occurring when the second stand part is pivoted together with the surgical microscope head about the rotation axis.

13. The surgical microscopy system of claim 12 , wherein the secondary support arm is arranged inside the main support arm,
each of the main support arm and the secondary support arm has a curved shape, and
the curved shape of the main support arm and the secondary support arm provides an overhead clearance between the second stand part and a head of a person standing underneath the second stand part of at least 100 millimeters.

14. The surgical microscopy system of claim 12 , wherein:
the torque compensation assembly includes a first torque compensation assembly and a second torque compensation assembly,
the rotation axis is a first rotation axis,
the second bearing defines a second rotation axis,
the first torque compensation assembly is mounted on the first stand part in the second bearing pivotably about the second rotation axis within a first swivel range,
the first torque compensation assembly includes a rod displaceable relative to the first stand part and mounted on the lever part in the third bearing, and
the second torque compensation assembly is fixedly mounted on the shaft.

15. The surgical microscopy system of claim 14 , wherein:
the counter torque includes a first portion and a second portion,
the first torque compensation assembly applies the first portion of the counter torque to the second stand part thereby partially counteracting the load torque,
the third bearing is arranged on the lever part at a position relative to the first bearing at which the first swivel range is a minimum swivel range thereby causing the balancing error preventing the first portion of the counter torque to cancel out the load torque,
the second torque compensation assembly applies the second portion of the counter torque to the second stand part, and
the seco

Assignees

• Zeiss Carl Meditec Ag

Inventors

• Lorenz Axel
• Bart Florian
• Kircher Wolfgang

Classifications

• A61B2090/506

  using a parallelogram linkage, e.g. panthograph · CPC title

• A61B2090/5025

  with a counter-balancing mechanism · CPC title

• A61B90/50

  Supports for surgical instruments, e.g. articulated arms · CPC title

• F16M11/42

  with arrangement for propelling the support {stands on wheels} · CPC title

• F16M2200/063

  Parallelogram arms · CPC title