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US 11,141,234 B2Granted
Bending mechanism and medical manipulator
AssigneeOlympus Corporation
InventorsHiroyuki Takayama, Noriaki Yamanaka
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bending mechanism includes: an elongated support member; a swivel that is supported at a distal end of the support member so as to swivel around an axis that intersects a longitudinal axis of the support member; a transmitter that are arranged along the longitudinal axis of the support member, transmits a driving force applied at a proximal end thereof, and makes the swivel swivel relative to the support member; and a regulator that regulates stress generated in the transmitter at each swivel position of the swivel with respect to the support member such that the stress does not exceed a prescribed threshold.
Claims19
A bending mechanism comprising:
- an elongated support member;
- a swivel supported at a distal end of the support member so as to swivel around an axis that intersects a longitudinal axis of the support member;
- a transmitter arranged along the longitudinal axis of the support member, transmitting a driving force applied at a proximal end thereof, and making the swivel swivel relative to the support member;
- and
- a regulator regulating stress generated in the transmitter at each swivel position of the swivel relative to the support member such that the stress does not exceed a prescribed threshold,
- wherein the regulator includes an urging portion urging the transmitter at a position at a proximal end of the transmitter in a direction along the longitudinal axis to a reference position determined in accordance with a swivel angle of the swivel with respect to the support member, and
- wherein the transmitter comprises one or more links configured to transmit the driving force in a distal direction and in a proximal direction along the longitudinal axis of the support member.
4 more elements
A bending mechanism comprising:
- an elongated support member;
- a swivel supported at a distal end of the support member so as to swivel around an axis that intersects a longitudinal axis of the support member;
- a transmitter arranged along the longitudinal axis of the support member, transmitting a driving force applied at a proximal end thereof, and making the swivel swivel relative to the support member;
- a regulator regulating stress generated in the transmitter at each swivel position of the swivel relative to the support member such that the stress does not exceed a prescribed threshold;
- and
- an actuator supplying the driving force to the transmitter,
- wherein the prescribed threshold is set to a different value depending on a swivel angle of the swivel with respect to the support member,
- wherein the regulator controls the driving force generated by the actuator in accordance with the swivel angle, and
- wherein the transmitter comprises one or more links configured to transmit the driving force in a distal direction and in a proximal direction along the longitudinal axis of the support member.
6 more elements
A bending mechanism comprising:
- an elongated support member;
- a swivel supported at a distal end of the support member so as to swivel around an axis that intersects a longitudinal axis of the support member;
- a transmitter arranged along the longitudinal axis of the support member, transmitting a driving force applied at a proximal end thereof, and making the swivel swivel relative to the support member;
- and
- a regulator regulating stress generated in the transmitter at each swivel position of the swivel relative to the support member such that the stress does not exceed a prescribed threshold,
- wherein the regulator includes:
- an urging portion urging the transmitter at a position at a proximal end of the transmitter in a direction along the longitudinal axis to a reference position determined in accordance with a swivel angle of the swivel with respect to the support member;
- a flat-plate-shaped flange fixed to a proximal end of the transmitter;
- a flat-plate-shaped stopper having an identical plate thickness to the flange, being arranged next to the flange in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and being arranged at the reference position in accordance with the swivel angle;
- and
- a pair of pressing members arranged at positions such that the stopper and the flange are simultaneously interposed therebetween in the plate thickness direction, and
- wherein the urging portion of the regulator urges the pressing members in directions such that the pressing members closely contact the stopper.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.