Surgical slave robot

• US 7,954,397 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2009
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meere Company
• Original Assignee: Meere Company
• Inventors: Won, Jong Seok, Choi, Seung Wook
• Primary Examiner(s): Ridley; Richard W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Johnson; Phillip A
• Application Number:
  US12/676,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20100224022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 744/900.1, 744/900.5, 744/900.6, 901/15, 901/16, 901/27, 901/28, 901/29, 606/130, 414/744.2, 414/744.3, 414/744.4, 414/744.5
• US Class Current: 74/490.01
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/37 Master-slave robots A61B34/35 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/73 Manipulators for magnetic surgery
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20305 Robotic arm

Abstract

A surgical slave robot is disclosed. The surgical slave robot, for performing a surgical operation with a surgical instrument installed on an end portion of a robot arm, can include: a main body; a major support arm that is coupled to the main body such that the major support arm is movable along one direction; a minor support arm rotatably coupled to the major support arm; and a plurality of the robot arms rotatably coupled to the minor support arm. By coupling a twofold support arm of a major and minor support arm to a tower-shaped main body and coupling multiple robot arms to the support arms, the surgical slave robot may be constructed with a compact and slim size that occupies a small amount of space, making it possible to position the surgical robot close to the patient while providing space for the surgeon to access the patient.

Claims

1. A surgical slave robot for performing a surgical operation with a surgical instrument installed on an end portion of a robot arm, the surgical slave robot comprising:

a main body;

a major support arm movably coupled to the main body, the major support arm movable along one direction;

a minor support arm rotatably coupled to the major support arm, the minor support arm having an upper surface and a lower surface; and

a plurality of the robot arms rotatably coupled to at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the minor support arm.

2. The surgical slave robot of claim 1, wherein the main body is formed as a tower-shaped column configured to be mounted on a floor of an operating room in correspondence to a position of an operating table.

3. The surgical slave robot of claim 1, wherein the minor support arm is coupled to an end portion of the major support arm by a SCARA system.

4. The surgical slave robot of claim 1, wherein the minor support arm is tiltably coupled to the major support arm.

5. The surgical slave robot of claim 1, wherein the robot arm comprises two or more link members axially coupled to each other, and

lines extending from coupling axes between the link members meet at a particular point on an end portion of the instrument.

6. The surgical slave robot of claim 1, wherein the robot arm comprises at least first and second link members connected to one another by a pivotable connection, each link member having a top surface and a bottom surface, the top surface of a first link member contacting the bottom surface of a second link member at the pivotable connection.

7. The surgical slave robot of claim 1, wherein the robot arms are connected to the top and bottom surface of the minor support arm.