Medical manipulator and welding method
AssigneeKarl Storz GmbH & Co. KG
InventorShuji Imuta
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A wire made up of a plurality of wire strands is wound around a tubular body coupled to a distal end working unit. A fixing pin has a through hole through which the wire is inserted. The fixing pin is fitted into a recess disposed in a side surface of the tubular body. The fixing pin is welded to the tubular body and the wire. The melting point of the wire is higher than the melting point of the fixing pin. In a state where material of the fixing pin flows in between the wire strands, the fixing pin and the wire are joined together.
Claims17
A medical manipulator comprising:
- a drive unit equipped with a rotary actuator;
- and
- a working unit which is detachable with respect to said drive unit, said working unit comprising a distal end working unit which is operatively connectable to said rotary actuator,
- the medical manipulator further comprising:
- a wire coupled to and being advanced and retracted by said rotary actuator, said wire comprising a plurality of wire strands;
- a rotating body around which said wire is wound, said rotating body being coupled to said distal end working unit;
- a recess disposed in a side surface of said rotating body;
- and
- a fixing member having a channel through which said wire is inserted, a portion of said fixing member being inserted into said recess for fixing said wire,
- wherein said fixing member is fused to said rotating body within said recess and to said wire by means of welding,
- thereby joining said fixing member to said wire.
A welding method for welding components of a medical manipulator, the medical manipulator comprising:
- a drive unit equipped with a rotary actuator;
- a working unit which is detachable with respect to said drive unit, said working unit comprising a distal end working unit which is operatively connectable to said rotary actuator;
- a wire coupled to and being advanced and retracted by said rotary actuator, said wire comprising a plurality of wire strands;
- a rotating body around which said wire is wound, said rotating body being coupled to said distal end working unit;
- a recess disposed in a side surface of said rotating body;
- and
- a fixing member having a channel through which said wire is inserted, a portion of said fixing member being inserted into said recess for fixing said wire,
- the welding method comprising:
- a heating step of heating said fixing member to a temperature which melts the fixing member;
- and
- an adhering step of, after the heated fixing member is melted, fusing and solidifying the melted fixing member to said rotating body within said recess and to said wire.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.