WO2025094303A1 - Robot and method for correcting posture of probe - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are: a robot capable of correcting the posture of a probe; and a method for correcting the posture of a probe.　This robot comprises: an arm that can hold a probe of an ultrasonic device; an acquisition device that acquires posture information pertaining to the posture of the probe with respect to an object imaged by the ultrasonic device; and a control device that controls the arm on the basis of the posture information acquired by the acquisition device and that corrects the posture of the probe.

Description

Method for correcting attitude of robot and probe

This disclosure relates to a method for correcting the attitude of a robot and a probe.

Conventionally, this type of robot has been proposed to include a robot arm that holds an ultrasound probe and moves the ultrasound probe along the body surface of the subject, a storage unit that stores instruction trajectory information for moving the ultrasound probe by the robot arm, and a robot arm control unit that controls the drive of the robot arm to move the ultrasound probe according to the stored instruction trajectory information (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this robot, the living body contact pressure detected by the pressure sensor is transmitted to the operator via a tactile input device.

JP 2017-159027 A

In a robot that uses an ultrasound probe, if the patient changes their posture and the desired echo image is not captured, it becomes necessary to operate the robot arm and correct the posture of the ultrasound probe while checking how the echo image is captured. This results in an increased burden on the operator.

This disclosure has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a robot that can correct the attitude of a probe, and a method for correcting the attitude of a probe.

In order to solve the above problems, this specification discloses a robot including an arm capable of holding a probe of an ultrasound device, an acquisition device that acquires posture information related to the posture of the probe relative to an object being imaged by the ultrasound device, and a control device that controls the arm based on the posture information acquired by the acquisition device and corrects the posture of the probe.
The contents of the present disclosure are not limited to being implemented as a robot, and are also extremely useful when implemented as a method for correcting the attitude of a probe.

The robot and method for correcting the probe posture disclosed herein can correct the probe posture based on posture information acquired by an acquisition device, so that the probe posture can be automatically corrected so that the desired image is displayed as an echo image. This reduces the burden on the operator of adjusting the probe posture, allowing them to concentrate on checking the echo image or other tasks.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a robot. An enlarged view of a portion of the robot including the hand. An enlarged view of a portion of the robot including the hand. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing electrical connections in the robot system. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the movement direction of a one-dimensional ultrasonic probe. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the movement direction of an H-shaped ultrasonic probe. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a one-dimensional ultrasonic probe is brought into contact with the surface of a human body to be treated and the posture is corrected. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a 90-degree rotation operation of the ultrasonic probe. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing the positional relationship between an external force and a force sensor in this embodiment and another embodiment. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing echo images before and after posture correction. Schematic diagram showing the state of an ultrasound probe and blood vessels before and after posture correction. 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining control of moving an ultrasound probe along a blood vessel while correcting its posture.

Below, an embodiment of the robot disclosed herein will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is an external perspective view of a robot system 10 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the robot 20. Figs. 3 and 4 are partial enlarged views of the robot 20 including the hand unit 60. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the electrical connections of the robot system 10. In the following description, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the forward/backward direction is referred to as the X-axis direction, the left/right direction as the Y-axis direction, and the up/down direction as the Z-axis direction, based on the direction as seen by an operator operating the operation panel 90 of the robot 20.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 5, the robot system 10 of this embodiment includes a robot 20 having a multi-joint robot arm 21, a foot switch 91, an ESR controller 92, a tablet terminal 93, and an emergency stop switch 94. As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the robot system 10 holds an ultrasonic probe 101 of an ultrasonic device 100 at the tip of the robot arm 21, and controls the robot 20 to move while pressing the ultrasonic probe 101 against the body surface of the human body, thereby causing the ultrasonic device 100 to obtain an ultrasonic echo image of the human body (hereinafter simply referred to as an echo image). The robot system 10 is used as an ultrasonic echo guide during surgery such as catheter surgery. An operator (surgeon) who operates a catheter guide wire instructs the robot 20 to press the ultrasonic probe 101 against the body surface of the human body (patient), and advances the guide wire while recognizing the positional relationship between the tip of the guide wire and the blood vessel from the obtained echo image, thereby allowing the guide wire to accurately pass through the center of the occlusion or stenosis of the blood vessel. The operator can also manually operate the robot arm 21, place the ultrasound probe 101 held by the robot arm 21 against the patient, and check the acquired echo image while determining points (images) to be reproduced during surgery and registering them in the robot 20 (robot control device 80) through direct teaching.

1, the ultrasound device 100 includes an ultrasound probe 101 and an ultrasound device main body 110 connected to the ultrasound probe 101 via a cable 102. As shown in FIG. 5, the ultrasound device main body 110 includes an ultrasound diagnosis control unit 111 that controls the entire device, an image processing unit 112 that processes the received signal from the ultrasound probe 101 to generate an echo image, an image display unit 113 that displays the echo image, and various operation switches (not shown). The ultrasound device 100 also includes an external IF (abbreviation of interface) 114. The ultrasound device 100 can be connected to the robot control device 80 of the robot 20 via the external IF 114. As the ultrasound probe 101, in addition to one-dimensional linear and convex types, two-dimensional and three-dimensional multi-dimensional probes, H-shaped probes, and other shaped probes can also be used. Note that FIGS. 1 to 4 show the state in which the one-dimensional ultrasound probe 101 is attached.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the robot 20 includes a base 25, a housing 29 installed on the base 25, a robot arm 21 supported by the housing 29, a hand 60 attached to the tip of the robot arm 21, a robot control device 80 that controls the robot arm 21, and an operation panel 90.

Casters 26 with stoppers are attached to the four corners of the back surface of the base 25. The robot 20 can be moved freely by the casters 26. In addition, locking parts 28 are provided at multiple points (e.g., three points) on the back surface of the base 25, which protrude vertically downward when a lever 27 is pressed down to lock (fix) the robot 20 so that it cannot move.

In this embodiment, the robot arm 21 is, for example, a seven-axis articulated arm, and has a first arm 22, a second arm 23, a base 24, a first arm driver 35, a second arm driver 36, a position holding device 37, a three-axis rotating mechanism 50, and a brake lever 65 (see FIG. 4).

The base end of the first arm 22 is connected to the base 24 via a first joint shaft 31 that extends in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). The first arm driving device 35 includes a motor 35a, an encoder 35b, and an amplifier 35c (see FIG. 5). The rotation shaft of the motor 35a is connected to the first joint shaft 31 via a reduction gear (not shown). The first arm driving device 35 rotates (pivots) the first arm 22 along a horizontal plane (XY plane) around the first joint shaft 31 as a fulcrum by driving the first joint shaft 31 to rotate with the motor 35a. The encoder 35b is attached to the rotation shaft of the motor 35a and is configured as a rotary encoder that detects the amount of rotational displacement of the motor 35a. The amplifier 35c is a driving unit for driving the motor 35a by switching the switching element.

The base end of the second arm 23 is connected to the tip end of the first arm 22 via a second joint shaft 32 extending in the vertical direction. The second arm driving device 36 includes a motor 36a, an encoder 36b, and an amplifier 36c (see FIG. 5). The rotating shaft of the motor 36a is connected to the second joint shaft 32 via a reduction gear (not shown). The second arm driving device 36 rotates (pivots) the second arm 23 along a horizontal plane around the second joint shaft 32 as a fulcrum by driving the second joint shaft 32 to rotate with the motor 36a. The encoder 36b is attached to the rotating shaft of the motor 36a and is configured as a rotary encoder that detects the amount of rotational displacement of the motor 36a. The amplifier 36c is a driving unit for driving the motor 36a by switching the switching element.

In this embodiment, the first arm 22 and the second arm 23 form a horizontal joint arm. Therefore, the robot 20 has two arm postures: a right arm posture mode in which the robot arm 21 operates in a right arm posture, and a left arm posture mode in which the robot arm 21 operates in a left arm posture.

As shown in FIG. 2, a lifting device 40 is provided inside the housing 29. The lifting device 40 is installed on the base 25. The base 24 is provided at the base end of the robot arm 21 and is capable of being raised and lowered relative to the base 25 by the lifting device 40. The lifting device 40 includes a first slider 41, a first guide member 42, a first ball screw shaft 43 (lifting shaft), a motor 44a, an encoder 44b, and an amplifier 44c (see FIG. 5). The first slider 41 is fixed to the base 24. The first guide member 42 extends in the vertical direction to guide the movement of the first slider 41. The first ball screw shaft 43 extends in the vertical direction and is screwed into a ball screw nut (not shown) fixed to the first slider 41. The motor 44a rotates the first ball screw shaft 43. The amplifier 44c drives the motor 44a. The lifting device 40 moves the base 24 fixed to the first slider 41 up and down along the first guide member 42 by rotating the first ball screw shaft 43 with the motor 44a. The encoder 44b is configured as a linear encoder that detects the vertical position (lifted position) of the first slider 41 (base 24).

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the three-axis rotating mechanism 50 is connected to the tip of the second arm 23 via the attitude maintaining shaft 33 extending in the vertical direction. The three-axis rotating mechanism 50 includes a first rotation shaft 51, a second rotation shaft 52, and a third rotation shaft 53 that are perpendicular to one another, a first rotation device 55 that rotates the first rotation shaft 51, a second rotation device 56 that rotates the second rotation shaft 52, and a third rotation device 57 that rotates the third rotation shaft 53. The first rotation shaft 51 is supported in a position perpendicular to the attitude maintaining shaft 33. The second rotation shaft 52 is supported in a position perpendicular to the first rotation shaft 51. The third rotation shaft 53 is supported in a position perpendicular to the second rotation shaft 52. The first rotating device 55 has a motor 55a that rotates the first rotating shaft 51, an encoder 55b that is attached to the rotating shaft of the motor 55a and detects the amount of rotational displacement of the motor 55a, and an amplifier 55c that drives the motor 55a (see FIG. 5). The second rotating device 56 has a motor 56a that rotates the second rotating shaft 52, an encoder 56b that is attached to the rotating shaft of the motor 56a and detects the amount of rotational displacement of the motor 56a, and an amplifier 56c that drives the motor 56a (see FIG. 5). The third rotating device 57 has a motor 57a that rotates the third rotating shaft 53, an encoder 57b that is attached to the rotating shaft of the motor 57a and detects the amount of rotational displacement of the motor 57a, and an amplifier 57c that drives the motor 57a (see FIG. 5).

The third rotation device 57 includes a housing 54 to which the second rotating shaft 52 is connected and which rotatably supports the third rotating shaft 53 so as to extend in a direction perpendicular to the second rotating shaft 52, a motor 57a which rotates the third rotating shaft 53, a force sensor 68, and the like (see FIG. 5). As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 54 is a box-shaped member having a first surface 54b, a second surface 54t, a third surface 54r, and a fourth surface 54f which are connected in the circumferential direction (direction along the outer periphery). The second rotating shaft 52 is connected to the third surface 54r. The third rotating shaft 53 is rotatably supported by the housing 54 so as to extend outward from the first surface 54b which is perpendicular to the third surface 54r, and is rotated by the motor 57a. Here, when the robot arm 21 is in the state shown in FIG. 2, the first surface 54b is the lower surface, the second surface 54t is the upper surface, the third surface 54r is the back surface, and the fourth surface 54f is the front surface. As shown in FIG. 3, an operating handle 66 and a stop switch 67 are arranged on the second surface 54t (top surface) of the housing 54. The operating handle 66 is held by an operator when the operator manually operates the ultrasound probe 101 held by the robot arm 21 during direct teaching. The stop switch 67 is a switch that the operator operates to temporarily stop the operation of the robot arm 21 when an unexpected operation occurs in the robot arm 21.

The force sensor 68 is provided in the housing 54 and attached to the third rotating shaft 53. The force sensor 68 transmits power from the motor 57a (see FIG. 5) provided in the housing 54 to the third rotating shaft 53 (hand part 60), and detects force components acting in the axial directions of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis as external forces acting on the hand part 60 (ultrasonic probe 101), etc., and torque components acting around the Ra, Rb, and Rc axes. The robot control device 80 of this embodiment controls the robot arm 21 based on the external force (force components, torque components, an example of the posture information of this disclosure) detected by the force sensor 68, and corrects the posture of the ultrasonic probe 101. Details of the posture correction control will be described later. The force sensor 68 is an example of an acquisition device of this disclosure. Note that the acquisition device of this disclosure is not limited to the force sensor 68. For example, the robot 20 may be equipped with an acquisition device that acquires the force and torque acting on each joint of the robot arm 21. The robot control device 80 may then detect the external force acting on the ultrasonic probe 101 based on the force and torque components acquired by this device, and correct the posture of the ultrasonic probe 101. Therefore, the method of detecting the external force and torque acting on the ultrasonic probe 101 can be changed as appropriate.

The hand part 60 is attached to the tip of the third rotating shaft 53. The hand part 60 has a base part 601, a holding part 602 that holds the ultrasonic probe 101 so as to be coaxial with the third rotating shaft 53, and a grip part 603 that is held by the operator. The base part 601 is a plate-shaped member, and is detachably attached to the third rotating shaft 53 by a snap lock 64. Therefore, the hand part 60 can be replaced depending on the type of ultrasonic probe 101. The hand part 60 (base part 601) may be attached to the third rotating shaft 53 by other fixing devices (e.g., ratchet-type fixing devices, screws, etc.).

The holding section 602 is provided on one surface of the base 601 and holds the ultrasonic probe 101. The holding section 602 includes, for example, a pair of support walls that support the ultrasonic probe 101 from both sides, and a plate-shaped pressing member that spans from one support wall to the other support wall and presses and holds the ultrasonic probe 101 against the base 601. The pressing member can be opened and closed relative to the pair of support walls, and can be switched between a closed state in which the ultrasonic probe 101 is held, and an open state in which the ultrasonic probe 101 can be attached and detached. This allows the holding section 602 to be attached in either orientation by changing the front and back of the ultrasonic probe 101.

The gripping portion 603 is gripped by an operator when the operator moves the ultrasonic probe 101 held by the robot arm 21 by hand during, for example, direct teaching. The gripping portion 603 is provided on the other surface opposite to the surface on which the holding portion 602 of the base 601 is provided, and is formed so as to protrude outward in a convex shape from the other surface. In this embodiment, the gripping portion 603 is formed by a convex curved surface as shown in Figures 3 and 4, but may be formed by any shape such as a tapered shape, rod shape, hemisphere shape, rectangular parallelepiped shape, cube shape, etc., as long as the shape is such that the operator can grip it. In addition, a direct teaching switch 61 is provided at the top of the convex portion (convex curved surface portion) of the gripping portion 603 to allow the operator to manually operate the robot arm 21 during direct teaching. The position at which the direct teaching switch 61 is provided may be changed as appropriate.

In this embodiment, the direct teaching switch 61 is configured as a three-position enable switch. One end of a cable 62 is connected to a terminal of the direct teaching switch 61. A cable guide 63 that guides one end of the cable 62 to the direct teaching switch 61 is fixed to the other surface of the base 601 of the hand 60, closer to the housing 54 than the gripping part 603. The other end of the cable 62 is connected to wiring that runs from the housing 54 along the robot arm 21 to the robot control device 80. In this embodiment, a connector 621 is provided at the other end of the cable 62, and is removably connected to a connector provided on the housing 54.

6 shows the direction of movement of the one-dimensional ultrasonic probe 101, and FIG. 7 shows the direction of movement of the H-shaped ultrasonic probe 101. As described above, the robot 20 of this embodiment operates the robot arm 21 by combining the translational motion in three directions, the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction, by the first arm driving device 35, the second arm driving device 36, and the lifting device 40, and the rotational motion in three directions, the X-axis Rb (pitching), the Y-axis Ra (rolling), and the Z-axis Rc (yawing), by the three-axis rotation mechanism 50. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the robot 20 can move the ultrasonic probe 101 in each of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions (both forward and reverse directions) and rotate it around each of the axes Ra, Rb, and Rc (both forward and reverse directions). In this embodiment, the X-axis direction is the direction in which the ultrasonic probe 101 is moved away from the housing 29 or moved closer to the housing 29. For example, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, in the X-axis direction, the direction in which the ultrasonic probe 101 is moved away from the housing 29 is the positive direction, and the direction in which the ultrasonic probe 101 is moved toward the housing 29 is the negative direction. In the Y-axis direction, the left direction is the positive direction, and the right direction is the negative direction. In the Z-axis direction, the upward direction is the positive direction, and the downward direction is the negative direction. Note that the definitions of the directions and positive/negative shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are merely examples. In the robot system 10 of this embodiment, the center of rotation is set so that the holding unit 602 (ultrasonic probe 101) rotates around the center 107 (see FIG. 6 and FIG. 7) at the tip of the ultrasonic probe 101 held by the holding unit 602.

The attitude holding device 37 holds the attitude of the three-axis rotating mechanism 50 (the orientation of the first rotating shaft 51) in a constant orientation regardless of the orientation of the first arm 22 and the second arm 23. The attitude holding device 37 includes a motor 37a, an encoder 37b, and an amplifier 37c (see FIG. 5). The rotating shaft of the motor 37a is connected to the attitude holding shaft 33 via a reduction gear (not shown). The attitude holding device 37 sets a target rotation angle of the attitude holding shaft 33 based on the rotation angle of the first joint shaft 31 and the rotation angle of the second joint shaft 32 so that the axial direction of the first rotating shaft 51 is always in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction), and drives and controls the motor 37a so that the attitude holding shaft 33 is at the target rotation angle. This makes it possible to control the translational motion in three directions and the rotational motion in three directions independently, making the control easier.

As shown in FIG. 4, the brake lever 65 is a generally L-shaped member that extends downward (in the direction of extension of the attitude-maintaining shaft 33) from the three-axis rotating mechanism 50 (first rotating shaft 51) and bends at an orthogonal direction at the end of the extension. Mechanical brakes (e.g., disk brakes) are attached to each axis of the robot arm 21 except for the horizontally rotating axis (first joint shaft 31, second joint shaft 32, and attitude-maintaining shaft 33), and the mechanical brakes are configured to be activated when the corresponding motor stops operating. The operator can release the mechanical brake by operating the brake lever 65 upward in the figure. As a result, even if the power supply is cut off due to some abnormality in the robot 20, the operator can manually release the mechanical brake and move the robot arm 21 to a safe position.

The operation panel 90 is a touch panel display that displays various information related to the robot system 10 and allows various instructions to be input to the robot system 10. In this embodiment, the operation panel 90 is installed on the top surface of the housing 29 that houses the lifting device 40 and the robot control device 80 of the robot 20. In addition, the user can issue operation instructions, emergency stop instructions, etc. to the robot system 10 by operating the foot switch 91, ESR controller 92, tablet terminal 93, and emergency stop switch 94 shown in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 5, the robot control device 80 comprises a robot control unit 81, a monitoring unit 82, an IO unit 83, a communication unit 84, a memory unit 85, and an external IF 86. The robot control unit 81 is configured as a processor including a CPU, ROM, RAM, peripheral circuits, etc. The monitoring unit 82 is configured as a one-chip microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, peripheral circuits, etc. The robot control unit 81 performs various processes related to the control of the robot arm 21 (motors 35a-37a, 44a, 55a-57a). The monitoring unit 82 monitors the status of each unit, such as the IO unit 83, the communication unit 84, the external IF 86, the amplifiers 35c-37c, 44c, 55c-57c, the encoders 35b-37b, 44b, 55b-57b, and the sensor unit including the direct teaching switch 61, etc. The robot control unit 81 detects abnormalities in the robot system 10 based on the monitoring results of the monitoring unit 82. The IO unit 83 is an I/O port that inputs detection signals from the direct teaching switch 61, detection signals from the stop switch 67, and operation signals from the operation panel 90, and outputs display signals to the operation panel 90. The communication unit 84 communicates with the robot control device 80 and external devices (foot switch 91, ESR controller 92, tablet terminal 93, emergency stop switch 94, etc.) via wire or wirelessly, and exchanges various signals and data. The memory unit 85 is a memory device such as a RAM, ROM, HDD, or SSD.

The external IF 86 is, for example, a LAN interface, and is connected to the external IF 114 of the ultrasound device main body 110 via a LAN cable 87. The robot control device 80 can acquire echo images from the ultrasound device 100 via the LAN cable 87. The standard of the communication cable connecting the robot 20 and the ultrasound device 100 is not limited to the LAN standard, and may be other communication standards such as the USB standard. Furthermore, the communication connecting the robot 20 and the ultrasound device 100 is not limited to wired communication, and may be wireless communication.

Each of amplifiers 35c-37c, 44c, 55c-57c includes a motor control unit 71, a drive power supply unit 72, and an IO unit 73. Drive power supply unit 72 includes, for example, an inverter circuit that supplies the power necessary to drive motors 35a-37a, 44a, 55a-57a. Motor control unit 71 controls each of motors 35a-37a, 44a, 55a-57a, for example, by feedback control (switching control) of the switching elements of the inverter circuit of drive power supply unit 72 based on encoder information from encoders 35b-37b, 44b, 55b-57b, etc. The IO unit 83 is an I/O port that inputs various signals such as encoder information from the encoders 35b-37b, 44b, 55b-57b, current signals from current sensors that detect the current flowing through each of the motors 35a-37a, 44a, 55a-57a, and command signals (control signals) from the robot control unit 81 to each of the motors 35a-37a, 44a, 55a-57a.

Next, the posture correction control of the robot 20 provided in the robot system 10 thus configured will be described. Here, for example, when performing a procedure using the robot system 10, if the operator performs catheter surgery while checking the posture of the ultrasound probe 101 and how the echo image is captured, a task of checking each step will be generated. As a result, the operator's workload will increase. Therefore, the robot 20 of this embodiment has a function of automatically correcting the posture of the ultrasound probe 101 so that the echo image desired by the operator is easily captured. The robot control device 80 of the robot 20 corrects the posture of the ultrasound probe 101 based on both the external force detected by the force sensor 68 and the echo image acquired from the ultrasound device 100.

The robot control device 80 may switch the posture correction function on and off based on an operation on the operation panel 90. The posture correction function may be a function that is always executed when the robot system 10 is started up. The robot control device 80 may be configured to be capable of executing only one of posture correction based on an external force detected by the force sensor 68, or posture correction based on an echo image acquired from the ultrasound device 100. The robot control device 80 may execute the posture correction function not only during a procedure, but also at times other than a procedure, such as when registering the above-mentioned registered points (during direct teaching) or when moving between registered registered points.

First, the posture correction control using the force sensor 68 will be described. Note that the posture correction control using the force sensor 68 below will be described in the case where a one-dimensional ultrasonic probe 101 is used, but the same can be performed with other types of ultrasonic probes 101, such as an H-shaped ultrasonic probe 101.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram of a one-dimensional ultrasonic probe 101 in contact with the surface of the human body of a patient P who is the subject of treatment. In addition, FIG. 8 shows the state of the ultrasonic probe 101 before the posture is corrected on the left side, and the state after the posture is corrected on the right side. In FIG. 8, the robot 20 (robot arm 21) and the hand 60 are omitted from illustration to avoid cluttering the drawing. As described above, the robot control device 80 can detect the force components acting in each of the X, Y and Z axial directions applied to the hand 60 (ultrasonic probe 101) as external forces using the force sensor 68. As shown by the arrow in FIG. 8, an external force 122 is generated from the contact part 121 of the patient P toward the ultrasonic probe 101. The external force 122 is an external force that has force components in each of the X, Y and Z axial directions. The arrow in FIG. 8 shows the direction obtained by combining the force components in each axial direction generated at the contact part 121.

Furthermore, the ultrasonic probe 101 is set with a central axis 125 as a reference for correcting the posture, for example. This central axis 125 indicates the orientation (direction, rotational position) of the posture of the ultrasonic probe 101. For example, the central axis 125 is a straight line passing through the center 107 of the tip of the ultrasonic probe 101 shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 and passing through the center of the ultrasonic probe 101. Furthermore, the central axis 125 is parallel to the axial direction of the third rotation shaft 53 when the ultrasonic probe 101 is attached to the hand part 60. For example, the hand part 60 is prepared with a different structure depending on the type of ultrasonic probe 101. The hand part 60 corresponding to the various ultrasonic probes 101 is formed so that the relative positions of the central axis 125 and the center 107 with respect to the third rotation shaft 53 are consistent regardless of the type of ultrasonic probe 101 (hand part 60) attached to the third rotation shaft 53. The coordinates of the center 107 and the direction of the central axis 125, for example, are set in advance in the memory unit 85. The robot control device 80 reads the setting information in the memory unit 85 and sets the central axis 125, etc. The robot control device 80 may detect the center of gravity of the ultrasound probe 101 using the force sensor 68, etc., and automatically set the coordinates of the central axis 125 and center 107.

The robot control device 80 adjusts the orientation of the ultrasonic probe 101 (hand part 60) so that the central axis 125 of the ultrasonic probe 101 is parallel to the direction of the external force 122. As shown on the right side of FIG. 8, the robot control device 80 controls the robot arm 21 based on the direction of the external force 122 detected by the force sensor 68 to correct the orientation of the ultrasonic probe 101, and corrects the posture of the ultrasonic probe 101 so that the ultrasonic probe 101 (central axis 125) is aligned with the external force 122. Therefore, the force sensor 68 is an example of an external force acquisition device that acquires the external force 122 acting on the ultrasonic probe 101 from the patient P as posture information of the present disclosure. This makes it possible to align the direction of the force applied from the ultrasonic probe 101 to the contact part 121 and the direction of the reaction force (external force 122) applied from the contact part 121 to the ultrasonic probe 101. Or, it is possible to reduce the angle θ1 between the two forces. Force can be efficiently applied from the ultrasonic probe 101 to the contact area 121, and fat and the like between the blood vessel 126 (imaging subject) and the epidermis can be contracted, shortening the distance 127 between the blood vessel 126 and the ultrasonic probe 101. As a result, the robot control device 80 corrects the posture of the ultrasonic probe 101 based on the external force 122 so as to shorten the distance 127 between the blood vessel 126 (imaging subject) and the ultrasonic probe 101 in contact with the epidermis. Preferably, the distance 127 between the blood vessel 126 and the ultrasonic probe 101 can be minimized. The blood vessel 126 can be more reliably included in the echo image.

The robot control device 80 also corrects the posture of the ultrasound probe 101 so that the angle θ1 between the direction of the external force 122 acting on the ultrasound probe 101 from the contact site 121 (external force direction) and the ultrasound probe 101 becomes smaller, and also corrects so that the blood vessel 126 appears in the echo image. Note that the robot control device 80 does not need to completely match the direction of the external force 122 and the central axis 125, and may control the robot arm 21 so that the angle θ1 between the direction of the external force 122 and the central axis 125 is equal to or smaller than a predetermined reference angle.

For example, the robot control device 80 processes the echo image acquired from the ultrasound device 100 to detect the position of the blood vessel 126. The robot control device 80 maintains the state in which the blood vessel 126 is reflected in the echo image based on the detected position, and controls the robot arm 21 so that the angle θ1 between the direction of the external force 122 and the central axis 125 is equal to or less than a predetermined reference angle. This allows the distance 127 between the blood vessel 126 and the ultrasound probe 101 to be shortened while the blood vessel 126 to be treated is more reliably imaged. The method for detecting the position of the blood vessel 126 is not particularly limited, but for example, a method using an AI (artificial intelligence) program can be adopted. For example, the memory unit 85 stores an AI program that has learned the process of detecting the position of the blood vessel from the echo image. The robot control device 80 executes this AI program to detect the position of the blood vessel 126 and perform correction. The method for detecting the position of the blood vessel is not limited to the method using the AI program, and other methods such as a method of detecting the edge of the blood vessel 126 by image processing may also be used. Furthermore, the method of determining whether or not the blood vessel 126 is displayed in the echo image is not limited to the image processing method by the robot control device 80 described above. For example, the robot control device 80 may receive a detection signal from the ultrasound device 100 indicating whether or not the blood vessel 126 is displayed, and correct the posture of the ultrasound probe 101 within the range in which the detection signal indicating detection is received.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, when the longitudinal direction of the one-dimensional ultrasonic probe 101 is arranged along the direction in which the blood vessel 126 of the human body extends, the robot control device 80 corrects the posture of the ultrasonic probe 101 in the rotation direction about the extension direction of the blood vessel 126 based on the external force 122. The longitudinal direction of the ultrasonic probe 101 here is, for example, the direction in which ultrasonic transducer elements (such as piezoelectric elements, which may also be called an transducer array) that transmit and receive ultrasonic waves in the linear ultrasonic probe 101 are arranged. The extension direction is also a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 8. Therefore, the blood vessel 126 in FIG. 8 shows a cross section of the blood vessel 126 cut by a plane perpendicular to the extension direction (longitudinal direction). In this way, by correcting the posture of the ultrasonic probe 101 along the rotation direction about the extension direction, the angle θ1 can be reduced and the distance 127 between the blood vessel 126 and the ultrasonic probe 101 can be shortened. In addition, the center of rotation along the extension direction can be, for example, a straight line passing through the center of the blood vessel 126. In addition, the method of detecting the center of the blood vessel 126 can be a method of detecting the position of the blood vessel 126 by the image processing described above.

Also, by arranging the longitudinal direction of the one-dimensional ultrasonic probe 101 so as to be aligned with the extension direction of the blood vessel 126, and controlling the direction of the external force 122 to coincide with the central axis 125 while the blood vessel 126 is displayed in the echo image, the posture of the ultrasonic probe 101 in the rotation direction about the extension direction as the center of rotation is corrected based on the external force 122. However, the robot control device 80 may set the center of the cross section of the blood vessel 126, and then correct the posture of the ultrasonic probe 101 based on the set center. For example, if the ultrasonic probe 101 is an H-type, the longitudinal section and cross section of the blood vessel 126 can be imaged without changing the position of the ultrasonic probe 101. Therefore, the center of the blood vessel 126 can be set from the echo image of the blood vessel 126 in the imaged cross section. The robot control device 80 may then correct the posture of the ultrasonic probe 101 around the center of the blood vessel 126 detected and set from the echo image of the cross section.

Also, if the one-dimensional ultrasonic probe 101 is used, an echo image of the longitudinal section can be obtained by applying the longitudinal direction of the ultrasonic probe 101 to the extension direction of the blood vessel 126. Also, by rotating the ultrasonic probe 101 by 90 degrees and applying the short side direction of the ultrasonic probe 101 to the extension direction, a transverse section (widthwise section) of the blood vessel 126 can be imaged. At this time, the robot control device 80 may rotate the ultrasonic probe 101 by 90 degrees while maintaining the posture of the robot arm 21 so that the imaging position is not changed. Also, if the ultrasonic probe 101 is rotated while being applied to the patient P, there is a risk that the patient P will feel uncomfortable. Therefore, when performing a 90-degree rotation, the robot control device 80 may temporarily move the ultrasonic probe 101 away from the body surface of the patient P, rotate the ultrasonic probe 101 by 90 degrees around the third rotation axis 53, and then contact the ultrasonic probe 101 with the body surface, as shown in FIG. 9. The robot control device 80 may then set the center of the blood vessel 126 from the cross-sectional echo image and correct the posture of the ultrasound probe 101 based on the set center. The robot control device 80 may also obtain information about the center of the blood vessel 126 detected by the ultrasound device 100 from the ultrasound device 100.

The robot control device 80 may also correct the posture of the ultrasonic probe 101 based on the moment acting on the ultrasonic probe 101 from the patient P. As described above, the force sensor 68 is attached to the third rotation axis 53, and can detect the force components acting in the axial directions of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis as external forces applied to the hand portion 60 (ultrasonic probe 101), and the torque (moment) components acting around the axes Ra, Rb, and Rc.

10 shows the positional relationship between the external force 122 and the force sensors 68, 68A in this embodiment and another embodiment. In the case of this embodiment shown in the left diagram of FIG. 10, the force component acting on the third rotation axis 53 to which the hand part 60 is attached is directly detected by the force sensor 68, so the posture can be corrected by aligning the center axis 125 of the ultrasonic probe 101 with the direction of the external force 122. In other words, when this external force 1221 is along the center axis 125, the ultrasonic probe 101 is in a state where no moment that tries to rotate the ultrasonic probe 101 acts (ideally, the moment is zero). For this reason, the robot control device 80 controls the robot arm 21 so that the torque components acting around each axis detected by the force sensor 68, i.e., the moment acting on the ultrasonic probe 101, are reduced (for example, the moment is zero). As a result, the distance 127 (see FIG. 8) can be shortened, similar to the control for correcting the posture to reduce the angle θ1 described above.

Furthermore, in the case of a force sensor 68A of another embodiment shown in the diagram on the right side of FIG. 10, the detection position of the force sensor 68A and the position where the ultrasonic probe 101 is attached are offset by a distance L. For example, assume that the ultrasonic probe 101 is attached to the end of a holder that extends a distance L forward in the X-axis direction from the third rotation axis 53. In this case, a moment due to the weight of the ultrasonic probe 101 is generated in the ultrasonic probe 101 even when it is not in contact with the patient P. Specifically, a moment is generated that is the product of the distance L and the mass of the ultrasonic probe 101 (or the mass including the member that holds the ultrasonic probe 101).

For this reason, in another embodiment, the robot control device 80 may eliminate the effect of the moment due to its own weight among the moments detected by the force sensor 68A, and then correct the posture of the ultrasonic probe 101 so that the remaining moment becomes zero. For example, the robot control device 80 subtracts the moment component due to its own weight from the moment components acting around the Ra, Rb, and Rc axes, and then controls the robot arm 21 so that each remaining moment component becomes zero. This makes it possible to correct the posture of the ultrasonic probe 101 even if, for some reason, the ultrasonic probe 101 is attached at a position offset from the force sensor 68A.

Next, posture correction control using echo images will be explained. Note that posture correction control using echo images, which will be explained below, and posture correction control using the force sensor 68, which has been described above, may be used in combination. In addition, the following explanation will be given for the case where an H-shaped ultrasonic probe 101 is used.

FIG. 11 shows echo images 131 before and after posture correction using echo images. FIG. 12 shows a schematic diagram of the state of the H-shaped ultrasound probe 101 and blood vessel 126 before and after posture correction. The H-shaped ultrasound probe 101 has, for example, two probes 101A and 101C that image the transverse section of the blood vessel 126, and a probe 101B that is disposed between the two probes 101A and 101C and images the longitudinal section of the blood vessel 126. In the following explanation, we will explain the case where the longitudinal direction of the central probe 101B of the three probes 101A to 101C of the H-shaped ultrasound probe 101 is disposed in the extension direction of the blood vessel 126.

In addition, in catheter surgery, the operator performs surgery while moving the ultrasound probe 101 from the base of the patient P's foot to the toes. In the following explanation, a case will be described in which, for example, blood vessels 126 in the femoral region of the leg are imaged from the base of the foot to the toes using the H-shaped ultrasound probe 101. Of the three captured echo images 131, the echo image 131 of the cross section captured by the probe 101A on the toe side will be referred to as echo image 131A, the echo image 131 of the longitudinal section captured by the probe 101B as 131B, and the echo image 131 of the cross section captured by the probe 101C on the head side will be referred to as echo image 131C. In addition, the blood vessel 126 of the cross section captured by the echo image 131A will be referred to as blood vessel 126A, the blood vessel 126 of the longitudinal section captured by the echo image 131B as blood vessel 126B, and the blood vessel 126 of the cross section captured by the echo image 131C as blood vessel 126C. Moreover, when the echo images 131A to 131C are collectively referred to, they are referred to as the echo image 131, and when the blood vessels 126A to 126C are collectively referred to, they are referred to as the blood vessel 126. The directions shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 are merely examples, and are appropriately changed depending on the type and orientation of the ultrasonic probe 101 attached to the hand part 60. The actual echo image 131 is displayed as an image having a shape such as a fan shape depending on the direction of emission of the ultrasonic waves. However, in order to avoid complicating the explanation, the following explanation will be given assuming that the echo image 131 is a square image as shown in FIG. 11. In addition, in image processing and correction control using the non-square echo image 131, a correction similar to the correction of the posture based on the square echo image 131 described below can be performed by changing the fan-shaped image to a square image or by performing a process such as converting the coordinates in the image. That is, the shape of the echo image 131 is not particularly limited.

FIG. 11 shows two patterns of pre-correction echo images 131A-131C on the left side. In the pre-correction state shown at the top, blood vessel 126A is located at the top of the rear side in echo image 131A. In this case, the probe 101A (see FIG. 12) on the toe side of the ultrasound probe 101 is shifted forward with respect to blood vessel 126A. Also, blood vessel 126B is tilted from the top left to the bottom right in echo image 131B. In the case of the ultrasound probe 101 in the upper echo image 131B of FIG. 11, as shown in FIG. 12, the distance 133 between probe 101A on the toe side and blood vessel 126 is shorter than the distance 134 between probe 101C on the head side and blood vessel 126. In other words, the ultrasound probe 101 is tilted so that the foot side is closer to blood vessel 126 than the head side. Also, blood vessel 126C is located at the bottom of the front side in echo image 131C. In this case, the ultrasound probe 101 has the head-side probe 101C (see FIG. 12) shifted backward relative to the blood vessel 126C.

The robot control device 80 detects the positions of the blood vessels 126A to 126C from each of the echo images 131A to 131C using the AI program described above. The robot control device 80 then controls the robot arm 21 to correct the posture of the ultrasound probe 101 (hand part 60) so that it is in the corrected state on the right side. In the corrected state on the right side, the center of the blood vessel 126A coincides with the center P1 of the echo image 131A. Furthermore, the blood vessel 126B is in a state in which it is aligned in the left-right direction, that is, the horizontal direction of the echo image 131B, at the center in the vertical direction of the echo image 131B. Furthermore, the center of the blood vessel 126C coincides with the center P2 of the echo image 131C. In this way, the robot control device 80 corrects the posture of the ultrasound probe 101 so that it is in the state of the echo images 131A to 131C after correction, that is, in an ideal imaging state, as shown by the arrows in the echo images 131A to 131C before correction in FIG. 11.

Also, in the state shown in the upper left of FIG. 11, the robot control device 80 controls the robot arm 21 to move the toe-side probe 101A backward. This brings the position of the blood vessel 126A closer to the center P1. The robot control device 80 also controls the head-side probe 101C to move forward. This brings the position of the blood vessel 126C closer to the center P1. The robot control device 80 also rotates the ultrasound probe 101 so that the toe side of the ultrasound probe 101 (probe 101B) moves upward and the head side moves downward. This brings the posture of the ultrasound probe 101 closer to the state of the corrected echo images 131A to 131C on the right side of FIG. 11, i.e., the ideal imaging state.

The state shown in the lower left of FIG. 11 shows a state in which the ultrasonic probe 101 is tilted in the opposite direction to the state shown in the upper left. In this case, the robot control device 80 corrects the posture of the ultrasonic probe 101 in the opposite direction to the state shown in the upper left of FIG. 11. Although detailed explanation is omitted, for example, the robot control device 80 controls the robot arm 21 to move the probe 101A on the toe side forward. The robot control device 80 also controls the probe 101C on the head side to move backward. The robot control device 80 also rotates the ultrasonic probe 101 so that the toe side of the ultrasonic probe 101 moves downward and the head side moves upward. As a result, the posture of the ultrasonic probe 101 approaches the state of the corrected echo images 131A to 131C on the right side of FIG. 11.

In the above description, the posture correction control using the echo image 131 captured by the H-type ultrasound probe 101 has been described, but posture correction control can be performed in the same way with other types of ultrasound probes, such as linear type. For example, posture correction control can be performed in the same way as with the H-type by rotating the one-dimensional ultrasound probe 101 by 90 degrees and capturing a cross section. Although detailed description will be omitted, the robot control device 80 rotates the one-dimensional ultrasound probe 101 by 90 degrees, captures a cross section (echo image 131A) on the toe side and a cross section (echo image 131C) on the head side, and determines the positions of the blood vessels 126A to 126C by combining them with the longitudinal section (echo image 131B) before rotating by 90 degrees. This allows correction to be performed in the same way as with the H-type. In addition, the robot control device 80 may perform correction using at least one echo image 131 of the three echo images 131A to 131C, or may perform correction using four or more echo images 131.

As described above, the robot control device 80 can control the robot arm 21 based on the echo image 131 acquired by the ultrasonic probe 101 in addition to the external force 122 acquired by the force sensor 68, and correct the posture of the ultrasonic probe 101. For example, the robot control device 80 may execute correction based on the echo image 131 in a state where the angle θ1 between the external force 122 and the central axis 125 is within a predetermined angle. This shortens the distance between the ultrasonic probe 101 and the blood vessel 126, and allows the blood vessel 126 to be properly displayed in the echo image 131. Alternatively, the robot control device 80 may execute correction of posture based on the above-mentioned echo image 131, and then execute correction of posture based on the external force 122. For example, the robot control device 80 may execute control to correct the traveling direction of the ultrasonic probe 101 based on the echo image 131 described later, and after moving a predetermined distance, execute correction of posture based on the external force 122 at the destination. The robot control device 80 may also be configured to be switchable between a mode in which posture correction is performed using only the external force 122 and a mode in which posture correction is performed using only the echo image 131.

The robot 20 also includes an external IF 86 that acquires the echo image 131 captured by the ultrasonic probe 101 from the ultrasonic device 100. The robot control device 80 controls the robot arm 21 based on the echo image 131 acquired from the ultrasonic device 100 via the external IF 86, and corrects the posture of the ultrasonic probe 101. This allows the echo image 131 to be acquired quickly from the ultrasonic device 100, preferably in real time, and allows smooth correction of the posture based on the echo image 131.

Also, as described above, the robot control device 80 corrects the posture of the ultrasonic probe 101 so that the angle θ2 between the blood vessel 126 and the ultrasonic probe 101 (central axis 125) is reduced as shown in FIG. 12 by correcting the inclination of the ultrasonic probe 101 (probe 101B) with respect to the blood vessel 126. Preferably, the inclination of the probe 101B can be changed according to the inclination of the blood vessel 126B in the longitudinal cross-sectional echo image 131B, so that the blood vessel 126 and the ultrasonic probe 101 can be parallel to each other. Specifically, the ultrasonic probe 101 can be positioned so that the extension direction of the blood vessel 126 and the longitudinal direction of the probe 101B are parallel to each other. In other words, the robot control device 80 controls the robot arm 21 in a direction in which the inclination of the blood vessel 126B is reduced in the longitudinal cross-sectional echo image 131B. This allows, for example, the blood vessel 126B to always have the same inclination (angle) in the echo image 131B, which is a longitudinal section, by continuing the control to automatically correct the posture, and preferably the blood vessel 126B can be displayed in a direction parallel to the horizontal direction of the echo image 131B. The operator (doctor) can view the blood vessel 126 held at a constant angle in the echo image 131, allowing him or her to concentrate on the catheter operation.

The robot control device 80 also controls the robot arm 21 based on both echo image 131B of a longitudinal section cut along a plane along the extension direction of the blood vessel 126, for example, a plane parallel to the extension direction, and echo images 131A and 131C of transverse sections cut along a plane perpendicular to the extension direction. Based on the two types of echo images 131, the robot control device 80 corrects the posture of the ultrasound probe 101 so that the angle θ2 between the blood vessel 126 and the ultrasound probe 101 becomes smaller. This makes it possible to correct the positional deviation between the echo images 131A-131C and the blood vessels 126A-126C in the up-down and back-and-forth directions. Preferably, the centers of the blood vessels 126A and 126C can be aligned with the center P1 of the echo images 131A and 131C.

The above-mentioned correction using the echo image 131 can be performed at a specific imaging position, but can also be performed while moving the ultrasound probe 101. By correcting the posture so that the centers of the blood vessels 126A and 126C coincide or approach the centers P1 and P2 of the two cross-sectional echo images 131A and 131C, and correcting the posture so that the blood vessel 126B is reflected in the longitudinal cross-sectional echo image 131B, the ultrasound probe 101 can be moved along the blood vessel 126. In other words, by simply instructing the direction of movement from the head side to the toes side, or from the toes side to the head side, the ultrasound probe 101 can be moved along the blood vessel 126 being imaged while imaging that blood vessel 126.

More specifically, FIG. 13 shows the state of control in which the ultrasound probe 101 is moved along the blood vessel 126 while correcting the posture. FIG. 13 also shows the position of the blood vessel 126 as viewed from above and the imaging ranges of cross-sectional echo images 131A and 131C, for example, when imaging a patient P lying on his back on a bed with the ultrasound probe 101 placed from above. In the following explanation, as an example, a case where an instruction to move the ultrasound probe 101 from the head side to the toes side is received will be described. FIG. 13 also illustrates the imaging ranges of the echo images 131A and 131C at four imaging positions P3, P4, P5, and P6.

For example, the operator places the ultrasound probe 101 at the insertion position for inserting a catheter on patient P who is lying on his back, so that the blood vessel 126 is displayed in the echo images 131A-131C. When the robot control device 80 receives an instruction from the operator to move toward the toes, it moves the ultrasound probe 101 toward the toes. For example, the robot control device 80 moves the ultrasound probe 101 while a movement instruction button displayed on the operation panel 90 is being pressed. The robot control device 80 executes control to correct the posture while moving the ultrasound probe 101, and moves the ultrasound probe 101 so that it follows the blood vessel 126.

For example, at the imaging position P3 shown in FIG. 13, the position of the blood vessel 126 is shifted forward in the imaging range of the echo image 131A on the toe side. Therefore, the robot control device 80 rotates the ultrasonic probe 101, for example, by rotating the hand part 60 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 13 around the third rotation axis 53 parallel to the up-down direction so that the toe side of the ultrasonic probe 101 is tilted forward as shown in imaging position P4. The ultrasonic probe 101 assumes a posture in which the center of the blood vessel 126 is imaged at the center in the front-back direction (centers P1, P2 in FIG. 12) in the echo images 131A, 131C of the two cross sections. Therefore, the robot control device 80 can correct the traveling direction of the ultrasonic probe 101 by determining the direction and amount of rotation of the ultrasonic probe 101 according to the direction and amount of positional shift of the blood vessels 126A, 126C relative to the echo images 131A, 131C of the two cross sections. For example, the robot control device 80 can move the ultrasound probe 101 from the head side to the toes side while performing the above-mentioned correction for the misalignment at a predetermined cycle, thereby moving the ultrasound probe 101 along the blood vessel 126.

After that, at imaging position P5, the position of the blood vessel 126 is shifted backward in the imaging range of the echo image 131A on the toe side. Therefore, the robot control device 80 rotates the hand part 60 counterclockwise in FIG. 13 about the third rotation axis 53 so that the toe side of the ultrasound probe 101 is tilted backward, as shown in imaging position P6, thereby rotating the ultrasound probe 101. The ultrasound probe 101 assumes a posture that images the center of the blood vessel 126 at the center in the front-to-back direction in the echo images 131A and 131C of the two cross sections. In this way, the ultrasound probe 101 can be moved along the blood vessel 126 while correcting its posture.

The robot control device 80 of this embodiment therefore moves the ultrasound probe 101 along the blood vessel 126 while maintaining the state in which the blood vessel 126 is reflected in the longitudinal cross-sectional echo image 131B and the transverse cross-sectional echo images 131A and 131C by correcting the posture of the ultrasound probe 101. This allows the operator to move the ultrasound probe 101 along the blood vessel 126 while capturing an image of the blood vessel 126, simply by instructing whether to move from the head side to the toes side, or from the toes side to the head side.

As described above, the robot control device 80 corrects the direction of travel of the ultrasonic probe 101 based on the positions of the blood vessels 126A and 126C in the two cross-sectional echo images 131A and 131C taken at different positions in the extension direction of the blood vessel 126. The robot control device 80 corrects the posture and direction of travel of the ultrasonic probe 101 while moving the probe in the corrected direction of travel. This allows the direction of travel of the ultrasonic probe 101 to be corrected according to the imaging position of the blood vessel 126, and the ultrasonic probe 101 to be moved along the blood vessel 126. Preferably, the ultrasonic probe 101 is first positioned in a position and posture where the blood vessel 126 is reflected in the three echo images 131A to 131C, and then the ultrasonic probe 101 can be moved to follow the blood vessel 126 by instructing the direction of travel (the direction of travel toward the toes or the direction of travel toward the head). In the explanation above using FIG. 13, the control of movement from the head side to the toes side was explained, but the control of movement in the opposite direction, from the toes side to the head side, can be executed in a similar manner. Therefore, when moving from the toes side to the head side, the direction of travel may be corrected based on the echo image 131, and the ultrasound probe 101 may be moved along the blood vessel 126.

Incidentally, the correspondence between the terms used in this embodiment and those described in the claims will be explained below. The ultrasound device 100 of this embodiment is an example of an ultrasound device. The ultrasound probe 101 is an example of a probe of the present disclosure. The robot arm 21 is an example of an arm. The force sensor 68 is an example of an acquisition device or an external force acquisition device. The robot control device 80 is an example of a control device. The external IF 86 is an example of an acquisition device or an external interface. The external force 122 is an example of posture information. The echo image 131B is an example of posture information or a longitudinal cross-sectional echo image. The echo images 131A and 131C are examples of posture information or a transverse cross-sectional echo image. The blood vessels 126, 126A to 126C are examples of an imaged subject. The patient P is an example of an object.

As described above, the present embodiment provides the following effects.
The robot control device 80, which is one aspect of this embodiment, corrects the posture of the ultrasonic probe 101 based on the external force 122 acquired by the force sensor 68 and the echo image 131 acquired by the external IF 86. This reduces the burden on the operator of adjusting the posture of the ultrasonic probe 101, allowing the operator to concentrate on checking the echo image 131 and performing treatment.

Incidentally, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that various improvements and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
For example, the configuration of the robot system 10 in the above embodiment is merely an example. For example, the robot system 10 may be configured to include at least one of the operation panel 90, the foot switch 91, the ESR controller 92, and the tablet terminal 93.
In addition, the robot control device 80 executes both the posture correction due to the external force 122 and the posture correction due to the echo image 131, but may be configured to execute only one of them. In addition, the robot control device 80 may execute at least one of the posture correction due to the external force 122, the posture correction due to the echo image 131, and the posture correction due to the moment shown in FIG.
In the above embodiment, the robot 20 includes the force sensor 68 as the external force acquisition device of the present disclosure, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the external force acquisition device of the present disclosure may be a device that acquires the force and torque acting on each joint of the robot arm 21. In this case, the robot control device 80 may detect the external force 122 based on the force and torque acting on each joint.
In the above embodiment, the robot 20 is configured as a seven-axis articulated robot capable of translational motion in three directions and rotational motion in three directions. However, the number of axes may be any number. The robot 20 may be configured as a so-called vertical articulated robot or horizontal articulated robot.

In addition, the subject of the present disclosure is not limited to a patient P (human body).
In addition, the ultrasound device of the present disclosure is not limited to a device that captures the echo image 131, but may be a device that captures echo images and performs treatment, such as high intensity focused ultrasound therapy (HIFU). In other words, the purpose of use of the ultrasound emitted from the probe can be changed as appropriate.

The scope of this disclosure is not limited to the dependent relationships described in the claims. For example, this specification also discloses a technical idea in claim 5 where "the robot according to claim 2 or claim 3" is changed to "the robot according to any one of claims 2 to 4". For example, this specification also discloses a technical idea in claim 6 where "the robot according to claim 2 or claim 3" is changed to "the robot according to any one of claims 2 to 5". For example, this specification also discloses a technical idea in claim 7 where "the robot according to claim 1" is changed to "the robot according to any one of claims 1 to 6". For example, this specification also discloses a technical idea in claim 10 where "the robot according to claim 7 or claim 8" is changed to "the robot according to any one of claims 7 to 9". For example, this specification also discloses a technical idea in claim 12 where "the robot according to claim 1" is changed to "the robot according to any one of claims 1 to 11".

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present disclosure is applicable to the robot manufacturing industry and the like.

20 robot, 21 robot arm (arm), 68 force sensor (acquisition device, external force acquisition device), 80 robot control device (control device), 86 external IF (acquisition device), 100 ultrasound device (ultrasound device), 101 ultrasound probe (probe), 121 contact area, 122 external force (posture information), 131 echo image (posture information), 131A, 131C echo image (posture information, transverse echo image), 131B echo image (posture information, longitudinal echo image), 126, 126A-126C blood vessel (image subject), 127 distance, P patient (subject), θ1, θ2 angle.

Claims (14)

an arm capable of holding a probe of an ultrasound device;
an acquisition device for acquiring orientation information relating to an orientation of the probe with respect to an object imaged by the ultrasound device;
a control device that controls the arm based on the attitude information acquired by the acquisition device to correct the attitude of the probe;
A robot comprising: The acquisition device includes:
an external force acquisition device that acquires an external force acting on the probe from the object as the posture information,
The control device includes:
The robot according to claim 1 , wherein the arm is controlled based on the external force acquired by the external force acquisition device, and an attitude of the probe is corrected. The control device includes:
3. The robot according to claim 2, wherein an attitude of the probe is corrected based on the external force acquired by the external force acquisition device so that a distance between an imaging target provided within the object and the probe in contact with a surface of the object is shortened. The control device includes:
4. The robot according to claim 3, wherein the attitude of the probe is corrected so that an angle between the probe and an external force direction acting on the probe at a contact portion of the object where the probe comes into contact is reduced, and the attitude of the probe is corrected so that the object to be imaged is reflected in an echo image. The acquisition device includes:
an external force acquisition device that acquires a moment acting on the probe as the posture information,
The control device includes:
The robot according to claim 1 , wherein the arm is controlled so that the moment acquired by the external force acquisition device is reduced, and the attitude of the probe is corrected. The object is
The human body,
The control device includes:
4. The robot according to claim 2, wherein an attitude of the probe in a rotational direction about a direction in which blood vessels of the human body extend is corrected based on the external force. The control device includes:
4. The robot according to claim 2, further comprising: a controller that controls the arm based on an echo image acquired by the ultrasonic device in addition to the external force acquired by the external force acquisition device, and corrects the attitude of the probe. The acquisition device includes:
an external interface that acquires an echo image captured by the probe from the ultrasound device as the posture information;
The control device includes:
The robot according to claim 1 , wherein the robot controls the arm based on an echo image acquired from the ultrasonic device via the external interface to correct the attitude of the probe. The control device includes:
9. The robot according to claim 8, wherein the attitude of the probe is corrected based on an echo image acquired from the ultrasonic device so as to reduce an angle formed between the probe and an imaging target provided within the object imaged by the ultrasonic device. The object is
The human body,
The control device includes:
The robot according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the arm is controlled in a direction that reduces the inclination of the blood vessel in a longitudinal cross-sectional echo image of the blood vessel of the human body cut along a plane along an extension direction in which the blood vessel extends. The object is
The human body,
The control device includes:
10. The robot according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the arm is controlled based on both a longitudinal cross-sectional echo image of the blood vessel cut along a plane along an extension direction in which the blood vessel of the human body extends, and a transverse cross-sectional echo image of the blood vessel cut along a plane perpendicular to the extension direction, and the attitude of the probe is corrected so that the angle between the blood vessel and the probe is reduced. The probe comprises:
It is an H-type probe,
The control device includes:
The robot according to claim 11, wherein the probe is moved along the blood vessel while maintaining the state in which the blood vessel is reflected in the longitudinal section echo image and the transverse section echo image taken by the H-shaped probe by correcting the attitude of the probe. The acquisition device includes:
an external interface that acquires an echo image captured by the probe from the ultrasound device as the posture information;
The control device includes:
Controlling the arm based on the echo image acquired from the ultrasonic device to correct the attitude of the probe;
The object is
The human body,
The control device includes:
The robot according to claim 1, wherein the robot corrects the direction of travel of the probe based on the positions of the blood vessel in each of the two transverse echo images taken at different positions in the extension direction, the two transverse echo images being obtained by cutting the blood vessel in a plane perpendicular to an extension direction in which the blood vessel extends, and moves the probe in the corrected direction of travel while correcting the attitude and direction of the probe. 1. A method for correcting a probe orientation in a robot including an arm capable of holding a probe of an ultrasound device and an acquisition device for acquiring orientation information relating to the orientation of the probe with respect to an object imaged by the ultrasound device, comprising:
A method for correcting a probe attitude, comprising: controlling the arm based on the attitude information acquired by the acquisition device, and correcting the attitude of the probe.

Images