NEEDLE-COUPLED PARALLEL MECHANISM

• US 20110251624A1
• Filed: 04/13/2010
• Published: 10/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industry-University Cooperation Foundation Hanyang University
• Original Assignee: Industry-University Cooperation Foundation Hanyang University
• Inventors: Lim, Hoon, Lee, Sang-Heon, YI, Byung-Ju
• Granted Patent: US 8,535,335 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/130
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3403 Needle locating or guiding means guides for suture needles A61B17/0482; guiding or tracking by nuclear magnetic resonance G01R33/285
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/3409 including needle or instrument drives
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/11 with guides for needles or instruments, e.g. arcuate slides or ball joints
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3287 Accessories for bringing the needle into the body; Automatic needle insertion A61M5/20, A61M5/31525 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/1824 Slidable connections

Abstract

A needle-coupled parallel mechanism is provided. The needle-coupled parallel mechanism is structurally improved so as to have a broad working area and a high precision. The needle-coupled parallel mechanism comprises a fixedly positioned frame, a main shaft, three first links, three second links, and a needle. The main shaft is arranged so as to be movable relative to the frame. One end of each of the first links is connected to the frame between both ends of the main shaft and the other end thereof is connected to one end of the main shaft. One end of each of the second links is connected to the frame between both ends of the main shaft and the other end thereof is connected to the other end of the main shaft. The needle is linearly movably coupled to the main shaft to perform a predetermined operation on a target object. Each of the first links and the second links has at least three joints selected from a prismatic joint, a 1-axis revolute joint, a 2-axis revolute joint and a spherical joint. The needle and the main shaft are moved with 6 degrees-of-freedom in conjunction with the operations of the first links and the second links.

Claims

1. A needle-coupled parallel mechanism, comprising:

a fixedly positioned frame;

a main shaft arranged so as to be movable relative to the frame;

three first links, each of which has one end connected to the frame between both ends of the main shaft and the other end connected to one end of the main shaft;

three second links, each of which has one end connected to the frame between both ends of the main shaft and the other end connected to the other end of the main shaft; and

a needle linearly movably coupled to the main shaft to perform a predetermined operation on a target object,

wherein each of the first links and the second links has at least three joints selected from a prismatic joint, a 1-axis revolute joint, a 2-axis revolute joint and a spherical joint, and the needle and the main shaft are moved with 6 degrees-of-freedom in conjunction with the operations of the first links and the second links.

2. The needle-coupled parallel mechanism of claim 1, wherein the needle is inserted into the main shaft.

3. The needle-coupled parallel mechanism of claim 2, wherein one end of the needle protrudes outwardly from the main shaft when the needle is moved linearly in one direction and is embedded within the main shaft when the needle is moved linearly in the opposite direction.

4. The needle-coupled parallel mechanism of claim 1, wherein the needle is elongated in one direction, has a sharp tip and is inserted into a living body to sample a living tissue.

5. The needle-coupled parallel mechanism of claim 1, wherein the needle is formed so as to have a hollow through which a drug supplied from the outside is injected into a living body after it is inserted into the living body.

6. The needle-coupled parallel mechanism of claim 1, wherein the needle is elongated in one direction and has a sharp tip so as to be inserted into a living body and applies an externally supplied current to a particular site of the living body therethrough.

7. The needle-coupled parallel mechanism of claim 1, wherein the three points at which the first links are connected to the frame, the three points at which the second links are connected to the frame, the three points at which the first links are connected to the one end of the main shaft, and the three points at which the second links are connected to the other end of the main shaft are in the form of regular triangles parallel to each other.

8. The needle-coupled parallel mechanism of claim 1, wherein the frame has a through-hole and the main shaft is inserted into the through-hole so as to be movable relative to the frame.

9. The needle-coupled parallel mechanism of claim 8, wherein the main shaft has a shaft body elongated in one direction and inserted into the frame, a first extension extending from one end of the shaft body in a direction crossing the longitudinal direction of the shaft body and connected to the other ends of the first links, and a second extension extending from the other end of the shaft body in a direction crossing the longitudinal direction of the shaft body and connected to the other ends of the second links;

and the needle is elongated in the longitudinal direction of the shaft body and is inserted into the shaft body.

10. The needle-coupled parallel mechanism of claim 9, wherein the three points at which the first links are connected to the frame are arranged at equal intervals on the same circumference in the circumferential direction to form a regular triangle, the three points at which the second links are connected to the frame are arranged at equal intervals between the three points at which the first links are connected to the frame in the circumferential direction to form a regular triangle, the three points at which the first links are connected to the first extension of the main shaft are arranged at equal intervals on the same circumference in the circumferential direction to form a regular triangle, the three points at which the second links are connected to the second extension of the main shaft are arranged at equal intervals on the same circumference in the circumferential direction to form a regular triangle, and the plane including the three points at which the first links are connected to the first extension is parallel to the plane including the three points at which the second links are connected to the second extension.

11. The needle-coupled parallel mechanism of claim 1, wherein each of the first links and the second links consists of a 2-axis revolute joint, a prismatic joint and a spherical joint connected in this order from one end thereof, and the prismatic joint provides a driving force necessary to control the position and posture of the main shaft.

12. The needle-coupled parallel mechanism of claim 1, wherein each of the first links and the second links consists of a 2-axis revolute joint, a 1-axis revolute joint and a spherical joint connected in this order from one end thereof, and the 1-axis revolute joint provides a driving force necessary to control the position and posture of the main shaft.

13. The needle-coupled parallel mechanism of claim 1, wherein each of the first links and the second links consists of a spherical joint, a prismatic joint and a spherical joint connected in this order from one end thereof, and the prismatic joint provides a driving force necessary to control the position and posture of the main shaft.

14. The needle-coupled parallel mechanism of claim 1, wherein each of the first links and the second links consists of a spherical joint, a 1-axis revolute joint and a spherical joint connected in this order from one end thereof, and the 1-axis revolute joint provides a driving force necessary to control the position and posture of the main shaft.