Rotation position detection unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12544936-B2
Application number	US-202217940437-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2022
Priority date	Mar 17, 2020
Publication date	Feb 10, 2026
Grant date	Feb 10, 2026

Abstract

A rotation position detector includes a motor having a drive shaft extending along a first axis, a drive-side pulley that is connected to the drive shaft, a holder that holds a treatment tool to be inserted into a patient during surgery, the holder rotating in association with the drive-side pulley, a driven-side pulley that rotates around the first axis, a diameter of the drive-side pulley being smaller than a diameter of the driven-side pulley, a transmission belt that transmits a rotational drive of the drive-side pulley to the driven-side pulley, a rotary encoder that is provided on the first axis and detects a rotation angle of the driven-side pulley, and a controller that calculates a rotation position of the holder based on the rotation angle and based a pulley ratio of the drive-side pulley to the driven-side pulley, and controls the motor based on the rotation position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A rotation position detection unit provided in a medical robot in which an insertion member is held in a rotatable manner, the rotation position detection unit detecting a rotation position of the insertion member and comprising:
a motor; a drive-side pulley that is connected to the motor and rotationally driven by the motor around a drive shaft of the motor; a driven-side pulley that rotates around a first axis of rotation; a transmission belt that transmits a rotational drive of the drive-side pulley to the driven-side pulley; a rotary encoder that is connected to the first axis of rotation and detects a rotation angle of the driven-side pulley; and a controller that controls drive of the motor and to which a detection result by the rotary encoder is input, wherein the insertion member rotates in association with a rotation of the drive-side pulley, a diameter of the drive-side pulley is smaller than a diameter of the driven-side pulley, and the controller calculates the rotation position of the insertion member based on the rotation angle of the driven-side pulley and a pulley ratio obtained by dividing the diameter of the drive-side pulley by the diameter of the driven-side pulley.

2 . The rotation position detection unit according to claim 1 , further comprising an intermediate pulley that rotates around a second axis of rotation,
wherein the insertion member is connected to the second axis of rotation and rotates around the second axis of rotation, the transmission belt comprises:
a first transmission belt that connects the drive-side pulley and the intermediate pulley and transmits the rotational drive of the drive-side pulley to the intermediate pulley; and
a second transmission belt that connects the intermediate pulley and the driven-side pulley and transmits a rotational drive of the intermediate pulley to the driven-side pulley, and
a diameter of the intermediate pulley is smaller than the diameter of the driven-side pulley.

3 . The rotation position detection unit according to claim 2 , wherein the diameter of the drive-side pulley and the diameter of the intermediate pulley are identical.

4 . The rotation position detection unit according to claim 1 , wherein based on the pulley ratio, a rotation range of the driven-side pulley is less than 360 degrees even when a rotation range of the insertion member exceeds 360 degrees.

5 . The rotation position detection unit according to claim 2 , wherein the motor is arranged on an insertion member side of the rotary encoder.

6 . The rotation position detection unit according to claim 5 , wherein the drive shaft and the first axis of rotation are arranged so as to be located coaxially.

7 . The rotation position detection unit according to claim 1 , further comprising a restriction member that restricts a rotation range of the driven-side pulley.

8 . The rotation position detection unit according to claim 7 , wherein the rotary encoder includes a plate that faces the driven-side pulley, and
the restriction member comprises:
a protrusion that is provided so as to extend toward a plate side in the driven-side pulley; and
a restriction portion that is provided in the plate so as to extend toward a driven-side pulley side and arranged at a predetermined position on a trajectory of the protrusion that moves in association with a rotation of the driven-side pulley.

9 . An apparatus comprising:
a holder that is configured to hold a treatment tool that is configured to be inserted into a patient during surgery; a motor; a drive-side pulley that is connected to the motor and rotationally driven by the motor around a drive shaft of the motor; a driven-side pulley that rotates around a first axis of rotation; a transmission belt that transmits a rotational drive of the drive-side pulley to the driven-side pulley; a rotary encoder that is connected to the first axis of rotation and detects a rotation angle of the driven-side pulley; and a controller that controls drive of the motor and to which a detection result by the rotary encoder is input, wherein the holder rotates in association with a rotation of the drive-side pulley, a diameter of the drive-side pulley is smaller than a diameter of the driven-side pulley, and the controller calculates a rotation position of the holder based on the rotation angle of the driven-side pulley and a pulley ratio of the diameter of the drive-side pulley to the diameter of the driven-side pulley.

10 . The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the rotary encoder is an absolute encoder.

11 . The apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising an intermediate pulley that rotates around a second axis of rotation,
wherein the holder is connected to the intermediate pulley and rotates around the second axis of rotation, the transmission belt comprises:
a first transmission belt that connects the drive-side pulley and the intermediate pulley and transmits the rotational drive of the drive-side pulley to the intermediate pulley; and
a second transmission belt that connects the intermediate pulley and the driven-side pulley and transmits a rotational drive of the intermediate pulley to the driven-side pulley, and
a diameter of the intermediate pulley is smaller than the diameter of the driven-side pulley.

12 . The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the diameter of the drive-side pulley and the diameter of the intermediate pulley are identical.

13 . The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein a rotation range of the driven-side pulley is less than 360 degrees even when a rotation range of the holder exceeds 360 degrees.

14 . The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the motor is arranged on a holder side of the rotary encoder.

15 . The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the drive shaft of the motor and the first axis of rotation are coaxial.

16 . The apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising a restriction member that restricts a rotation range of the driven-side pulley.

17 . The apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the rotary encoder includes a restriction plate that faces the driven-side pulley, and
the restriction member comprises:
a first protrusion in the driven-side pulley; and
a second protrusion in the restriction plate, the second protrusion being arranged at a position on a trajectory of the first protrusion such that an engagement of the first protrusion with the second protrusion restricts the rotation angle.

18 . The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the rotary encoder comprises a restriction plate, a base plate, a holding plate, and a detector arranged in order along the first axis of rotation.

19 . An apparatus comprising:
a motor having a drive shaft extending along a first axis; a drive-side pulley that is connected to the drive shaft of the motor; a holder that is configured to hold a treatment tool that is configured to be inserted into a patient during surgery, the holder rotating in association with the drive-side pulley; a driven-side pulley that rotates around the first axis, a diameter of the drive-side pulley being smaller than a diameter of the driven-side pulley; a transmission belt that transmits a rotational drive of the drive-side pulley to the driven-side pulley; a rotary encoder that is provided on the first axis and detects a rotation angle of the driven-side pulley; and a controller that calculates a rotation position of the holder based on the rotation angle and based

Assignees

• Riverfield Inc

Inventors

• Morita Naoya

Classifications

• H02K7/1004

  with pulleys · CPC title

• B25J9/104

  with cables, chains or ribbons · CPC title

• A61B34/30

  Surgical robots · CPC title

• H02K11/22

  Optical devices · CPC title

• B25J9/101

  using limit-switches, -stops · CPC title