Tendon-sheath driving apparatus
AssigneeEndo Robotics Co., Ltd.
InventorsKyungnam Kim, Byung Gon Kim, Yechan Seo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed is a tendon-sheath driving apparatus. A tendon-sheath driving apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure includes: a sheath having a predetermined length, being flexible and having a hollow shape; a tendon placed inside a hollow of the sheath; a rod coupled to an outer surface of a first side of the tendon, and having higher rigidity than the sheath; and a pipe coupled to an outer surface of a first side of the sheath, and having higher rigidity than the sheath, wherein the tendon is moved through the sheath and the pipe as the rod is moved being guided by the pipe while a portion of the rod is placed inside the pipe.
Claims19
A tendon-sheath driving apparatus comprising:
- a first sheath having a predetermined length, being flexible and having a hollow shape;
- a second sheath having a predetermined length, being flexible and having a hollow shape;
- a first tendon, a portion of which is placed inside a hollow of the first sheath;
- a second tendon, a portion of which is placed inside a hollow of the second sheath;
- a first tendon rod coupled to the first tendon;
- a second tendon rod coupled to the second tendon;
- a first sheath pipe coupled to the first sheath;
- a second sheath pipe coupled to the second sheath;
- a first actuator configured to drive the first tendon rod;
- a second actuator configured to drive the second tendon rod;
- and
- a joint connected to the first tendon and the second tendon,
- wherein the first tendon is configured to move through the first sheath and the first sheath pipe as the first tendon rod is moved through the first sheath pipe while a portion of the first tendon rod is inside the first sheath pipe,
- wherein the second tendon is configured to move through the second sheath and the second sheath pipe as the second tendon rod is moved through the second sheath pipe while a portion of the second tendon rod is inside the second sheath pipe,
- wherein the first actuator and the second actuator are configured to simultaneously cause movement of the first tendon rod and the second tendon rod, respectively, and
- wherein, when the first actuator causes the first tendon rod to move in a first direction, the second actuator is configured to cause the second tendon rod to move in a direction opposite to the first direction.
A tendon-sheath driving apparatus comprising:
- a first sheath having a predetermined length, being flexible and having a hollow shape;
- a second sheath having a predetermined length, being flexible and having a hollow shape;
- a first tendon placed inside a hollow of the first sheath;
- a second tendon placed inside a hollow of the second sheath;
- a first tendon pipe coupled to the first tendon, configured to receive the first sheath therein, and having higher rigidity than the first sheath;
- a second tendon pipe coupled to the second tendon, configured to receive the second sheath therein, and having higher rigidity than the second sheath;
- a first sheath pipe configured to receive the first sheath therein, and having higher rigidity than the first sheath, and
- a second sheath pipe configured to receive the second sheath therein, and having higher rigidity than the second sheath,
- wherein the first tendon is configured to move through the first sheath and the first sheath pipe as the first tendon pipe is moved through the first sheath pipe while a portion of the first tendon pipe is placed inside the first sheath pipe, and
- wherein the second tendon is configured to move through the second sheath and the second sheath pipe as the second tendon pipe is moved through the second sheath pipe while a portion of the second tendon pipe is placed inside the second sheath pipe.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.