JP7582904B2 - Specimen collection robot system and robot system - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a specimen collection robot system and a robot system.

Conventionally, specimen collection boxes for collecting specimens from subjects are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a specimen collection box for collecting specimens from subjects as a measure against infectious diseases caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). This specimen collection box includes a main specimen collection box and a protective glove provided on the main specimen collection box. This specimen collection box is configured so that a collector who enters the main specimen collection box can perform specimen collection work to collect a specimen from a subject while wearing the protective glove.

Utility Model Registration No. 3228999

However, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, the collector (treatment person) enters the main specimen collection box and performs treatment on the subject through protective gloves. This brings the treatment person and the subject closer to each other. In addition, since the treatment person enters the main specimen collection box, it is necessary to take in air into the main specimen collection box. This poses the problem that there is a high risk of the treatment person becoming infected when performing treatment such as specimen collection or examination on the subject.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the problems described above, and one objective of the present disclosure is to provide a specimen collection robot system and a robot system that are capable of performing procedures such as specimen collection while reducing the risk of infection from the subject.

To achieve the above object, a specimen collection robot system according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes a slave robot that collects a specimen from a subject using a specimen collection member, a master robot that remotely operates the slave robot, a control device that controls the operation of the slave robot, and a face detection unit that detects whether the subject's face has moved away from a predetermined position, and the control device stops the specimen collection operation of the slave robot based on the detection by the face detection unit that the subject's face has moved away from the predetermined position.

As described above, the specimen collection robot system according to the first aspect of the present disclosure includes a slave robot that collects a specimen from a subject using a specimen collection member, and a master robot that remotely controls the slave robot. This allows the master robot to remotely control the slave robot to collect a specimen from the subject, thereby reducing the risk of infection from the subject to the person performing the treatment. In addition, the control device stops the specimen collection operation of the slave robot based on the detection by the face detection unit that the subject's face has moved away from a predetermined position. This stops the specimen collection operation of the slave robot when the subject moves his or her face, making it possible to prevent specimen collection from being inappropriately performed on the subject due to a movement in the position of the subject from whom the specimen is to be collected.

The robot system according to the second aspect of the present disclosure includes a slave robot that holds a medical examination tool and performs a treatment on a subject, a master robot that remotely controls the slave robot, a control device that controls the operation of the slave robot, and a face detection unit that detects whether the subject's face has moved away from a predetermined position. The control device stops the treatment operation of the slave robot based on the detection by the face detection unit that the subject's face has moved away from the predetermined position. Here, "performing a treatment on a subject" in the present disclosure is a broad concept that includes not only collecting a specimen from the subject, but also examining the subject. Also, the "examination tool" in the present disclosure is not limited to disposable members such as specimen collection members (sterile cotton swabs), but is a broad concept that includes devices used in examinations or medical equipment.

As described above, the robot system according to the second aspect of the present disclosure includes a slave robot that holds a medical examination instrument and performs treatment on a subject, and a master robot that remotely controls the slave robot. This allows the master robot to remotely control the slave robot to perform treatment such as specimen collection on the subject, thereby reducing the risk of infection from the subject to the person performing the treatment. In addition, the control device stops the treatment operation of the slave robot based on the detection by the face detection unit that the subject's face has moved away from a predetermined position. This stops the treatment operation of the slave robot when the subject moves his or her face, making it possible to prevent the subject from being treated inappropriately due to the subject's position moving.

As described above, the present disclosure can reduce the risk of infection from the subject. It can also prevent sample collection (treatment) from being inappropriately performed on the subject due to the subject's position moving when the sample is collected (treated).

FIG. 1 illustrates a robotic system according to one embodiment. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a robotic system according to one embodiment. FIG. 13 illustrates the collection of a specimen by operating a slave robot according to one embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a slave robot, a shielding plate, and a subject according to an embodiment (as viewed from the slave robot side). FIG. 2 illustrates a chin rest and forehead rest according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a chin rest and release paper according to one embodiment.

The configuration of the robot system 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. The robot system 100 is an example of a "specimen collection robot system" and a "robot system" in the claims.

As shown in FIG. 1, the robot system 100 includes a slave robot 10, a master robot 20, a display device 30, and a face holder 50. The slave robot 10 and the face holder 50 are disposed in a space 2 that is different from the space 1 in which the master robot 20 and the display device 30 are disposed.

2, the master robot 20 includes a control unit 20a, a drive unit 20b (servo motor), and an encoder 20c. The slave robot 10 includes a control unit 10a, a drive unit 10b (servo motor), and an encoder 10c. The robot system 100 includes a control device 40. The control device 40 controls the operation of the slave robot 10. The control device 40 is composed of a computer including a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memories such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The control device 40 also stores control software 41 for controlling the slave robot 10. Then, when a person performing the treatment (hereinafter referred to as operator O) operates the operation unit 21 (see FIG. 1) of the master robot 20, an operation command is calculated by the control software 41 of the control device 40, and the calculated operation command is input to the control unit 10a of the slave robot 10. This drives the drive unit 10b of the slave robot 10, thereby driving the slave robot 10. The specific configuration of the robot system 100 will be described below.

1 and 3, in this embodiment, the slave robot 10 is remotely operated to collect a specimen from the subject S using the specimen collection member 101. The specimen collection member 101 is, for example, a sterile cotton swab. The sterile cotton swab has a rod shape. The slave robot 10 inserts the specimen collection member 101 into the nasal cavity of the subject S, and collects a specimen (nasopharyngeal swab) from the nasopharynx of the subject S using the inserted specimen collection member 101 (see the specimen collection member 101 shown by dotted lines in FIG. 3). The slave robot 10 may also collect a specimen by inserting the specimen collection member 101 into the oral cavity of the subject S. The collected specimen is subjected to a virus test (such as a test for the new coronavirus) such as a PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test. The specimen collection member 101 is an example of a "testing instrument" in the claims.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the slave robot 10 is a vertical articulated robot. The slave robot 10 includes an arm portion 11 of a vertical articulated arm and a hand portion 12 attached to the tip of the arm portion 11. The arm portion 11 has a plurality of joints. Each of the plurality of joints of the arm portion 11 is provided with a driving portion 10b and an encoder 10c. The driving portion 10b is, for example, a servo motor. In this embodiment, the hand portion 12 grasps the specimen collection member 101. The hand portion 12 has, for example, chucks 12a (a pair of grasping members), and grasps and holds the specimen collection member 101 with the chucks 12a. The chucks 12a are, for example, air chucks operated by air.

The slave robot 10 is housed inside a housing 102. A shielding plate 103 is disposed between the slave robot 10 and the subject S to shield the slave robot 10 from the subject S. The shielding plate 103 is installed in the housing 102. The shielding plate 103 is a transparent member such as a glass plate, and has an opening 103a through which the specimen collection member 101 held by the slave robot 10 is inserted. That is, the slave robot 10 inserts the specimen collection member 101 into the nasal cavity of the subject S through the opening 103a over the shielding plate 103. The position and size of the opening 103a are set so that the opening 103a is located in the nasal cavity of the subject S.

As shown in FIG. 1, the master robot 20 remotely controls the slave robot 10. Specifically, the master robot 20 is operated by a practitioner such as a doctor (hereinafter referred to as an operator O) to remotely control the slave robot 10. The master robot 20 outputs an operation command based on the operation of the operator O. The slave robot 10 performs an action corresponding to the operation of the operator O based on the operation command of the master robot 20. The slave robot 10 and the master robot 20 are connected to each other via wire or wirelessly so that they can communicate with each other.

The master robot 20 also includes an operation unit 21 and an arm unit 22 that movably supports the operation unit 21. The operation unit 21 accepts input operations for remotely operating the hand unit 12 of the slave robot 10 that holds (grabs) the specimen collection member 101. Specifically, the operation unit 21 is a grip handle having a rod shape. The operation unit 21 is held and moved by the operator O in one hand to accept input operations of the slave robot 10 by the operator O. The operation unit 21 is operated, for example, by the right hand of the operator O. The arm unit 22 has multiple joints and supports the operation unit 21 movably in the up-down direction (Z direction), left-right direction (Y direction), and front-back direction (X direction).

The slave robot 10 is operated in a direction corresponding to the direction in which the operator O moves the operation unit 21. For example, when the operator O moves the operation unit 21 in the up-down direction (Z direction), the hand unit 12 of the slave robot 10 (and the specimen collection member 101 held by the hand unit 12) is moved in the up-down direction. Also, for example, when the operator O moves the operation unit 21 in the left-right direction (Y direction), the hand unit 12 of the slave robot 10 (and the specimen collection member 101 held by the hand unit 12) is moved in the left-right direction. Also, for example, when the operator O moves the operation unit 21 in the front-back direction (X direction), the hand unit 12 of the slave robot 10 (and the specimen collection member 101 held by the hand unit 12) is moved in the front-back direction. When collecting a specimen from the subject S using the specimen collection member 101, the operator O moves the operation unit 21 forward (X1 direction) to move the hand unit 12 of the slave robot 10 (and the specimen collection member 101 held by the hand unit 12) forward (insertion direction), thereby inserting the specimen collection member 101 into the nasal cavity of the subject S.

As shown in FIG. 1, the display device 30 displays an image (video) of the subject S. The display device 30 displays, for example, a video from a camera (not shown) that is provided at the tip of the arm 11 of the slave robot 10 and captures the subject S from the front, and a video from a camera (not shown) that captures the subject S from the side. While checking the real-time video of the subject S displayed on the display device 30, the operator O operates the slave robot 10 using the master robot 20 to perform a specimen collection operation from the subject S using the specimen collection member 101. The display device 30 includes, for example, a liquid crystal monitor.

3 and 4, a face holder 50 is installed on the subject S side with respect to the shielding plate 103 that blocks the subject S from the slave robot 10. The face holder 50 includes a chin rest 51 and a forehead rest 52. The chin rest 51 is disposed below the opening 103a. The chin rest 51 holds the chin of the subject S. Specifically, the chin rest 51 is a rectangular rest on which the chin of the subject S is placed. The chin rest 51 can be moved up and down. The forehead rest 52 is disposed above the opening 103a. The forehead rest 52 holds the forehead of the subject S. Specifically, the forehead rest 52 is a rod-shaped member curved to fit along the forehead of the subject S. The forehead rest 52 is disposed horizontally, and supports are connected to both ends.

The subject S places his/her forehead against the forehead placement position of the forehead rest 52 and places his/her chin at the chin placement position of the chin rest 51, thereby fixing (holding) his/her face so that he/she faces the shielding plate 103 (facing the slave robot 10). Then, by fixing the face of the subject S with the face holder 50, the nasal cavity of the subject S is positioned in front of the opening 103a (the position where the specimen collection member 101 is inserted by the slave robot 10). This positions the nasal cavity of the subject S.

2, in this embodiment, the robot system 100 includes a face detection unit 60 that detects whether the face of the subject S has moved away from a predetermined position. The face detection unit 60 includes a chin detection unit 61 and a forehead detection unit 62. The chin detection unit 61 detects whether the chin of the subject S has moved away from a chin arrangement position, thereby detecting whether the face of the subject S has moved away from a predetermined position. The forehead detection unit 62 detects whether the forehead of the subject S has moved away from a forehead arrangement position, thereby detecting whether the face of the subject S has moved away from a predetermined position. The chin detection unit 61 is an example of a "first optical sensor" in the claims. The forehead detection unit 62 is an example of a "second optical sensor" in the claims.

As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the chin detection unit 61 detects whether the chin of the subject S has moved away from the chin placement position where the chin of the subject S is placed on the chin rest 51. The chin detection unit 61 is placed in a recess 51a (depression) provided on the chin rest 51 so as not to come into direct contact with the subject S. In addition, the forehead detection unit 62 detects whether the forehead of the subject S has moved away from the forehead placement position where the forehead of the subject S is placed on the forehead support unit 52. Similarly, the forehead detection unit 62 is placed in a recess 52a (depression) provided on the forehead support unit 52 so as not to come into direct contact with the subject S.

The chin detection unit 61 is a reflective optical sensor that detects the distance between the chins of the subject S without contact. Similarly, the forehead detection unit 62 is a reflective optical sensor that detects the distance between the foreheads of the subject S without contact. That is, the chin detection unit 61 and the forehead detection unit 62 each emit detection light for detecting the chin and forehead of the subject S. The chin detection unit 61 and the forehead detection unit 62 each have an LED (light-emitting diode) that emits detection light. The chin detection unit 61 and the forehead detection unit 62 each detect whether the face of the subject S is positioned at a predetermined position by detecting the detection light reflected by the chin and forehead of the subject S. The chin detection unit 61 and the forehead detection unit 62 each output a detection signal to the control device 40 based on the detected detection light.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, multiple release papers 104 are placed on the chin rest 51 in a stacked manner. When samples are collected from multiple subjects S in sequence, the release papers 104 are peeled off and discarded one by one after each sample is collected from one subject S. The release papers 104 are provided with a through hole 104a so that detection light from the chin detection unit 61 can be irradiated onto the chin of the subject S.

In the robot system 100 of this embodiment, the control device 40 stops the sample collection operation (treatment operation) of the slave robot 10 based on the face detection unit 60 detecting that the face of the subject S has moved away from a predetermined position.

Specifically, based on at least one of the detection by the chin detection unit 61 that the chin of the subject S has moved away from the chin placement position and the detection by the forehead detection unit 62 that the forehead of the subject S has moved away from the forehead placement position, it is detected that the face of the subject S has moved away from the predetermined position (the face of the subject S has moved). In detail, when at least one of the chin and forehead of the subject S is not detected based on the detection signals from the chin detection unit 61 and the forehead detection unit 62, the control device 40 outputs a command to the control unit 10a of the slave robot 10 to stop the operation of the slave robot 10, assuming that the face of the subject S has moved away from the predetermined position. That is, when the control device 40 receives detection signals from both the chin detection unit 61 and the forehead detection unit 62 indicating that the forehead and chin of the subject S are placed at the chin placement position and the forehead placement position, it accepts remote operation from the master robot 20 and operates the slave robot 10.

In the present embodiment, the control device 40 stops the specimen collection operation of the slave robot 10 based on the detection by the face detection unit 60 that the face of the subject S has moved away from a predetermined position at least while (period) the specimen collection member 101 is inserted into the nasal cavity of the subject S. Specifically, during the period from when the remote operation by the master robot 20 is started to when the remote operation is ended, the control device 40 stops the specimen collection operation of the slave robot 10 based on the detection by the face detection unit 60 that the face of the subject S has moved away from a predetermined position. For example, when the specimen collection member 101 is brought close to the nasal cavity of the subject S or when the specimen collection member 101 is inserted into the nasal cavity of the subject S, the operation of the slave robot 10 (movement of the specimen collection member 101) is stopped based on the detection by the face detection unit 60 that the face of the subject S has moved away from a predetermined position.

In addition, when a command to end remote operation by the master robot 20 is received from the operator O after sample collection is completed, the control device 40 does not stop the operation of the slave robot 10 even if the face of the subject S moves away from the specified position. In addition, even while the slave robot 10 is performing a preparatory operation for sample collection, the control device 40 does not stop the operation of the slave robot 10 if the face of the subject S moves away from the specified position.

[Effects of this embodiment]
In this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

As described above, the robot system 100 (specimen collection robot system) according to this embodiment includes a slave robot 10 that collects a specimen from a subject S using a specimen collection member 101, and a master robot 20 that remotely controls the slave robot 10. As a result, the master robot 20 can remotely control the slave robot 10 to collect a specimen from the subject S, thereby reducing the risk of infection from the subject S to the person performing the treatment. In addition, the control device 40 stops the specimen collection operation (treatment operation) of the slave robot 10 based on the detection by the face detection unit 60 that the face of the subject S has moved away from a predetermined position. As a result, when the subject S moves his/her face, the specimen collection operation of the slave robot 10 is stopped, so that it is possible to prevent specimen collection (treatment) of the subject S from being inappropriately performed due to the movement of the position of the subject S where the specimen collection (treatment) is performed.

In addition, in this embodiment, as described above, the face detection unit 60 includes at least one of the chin detection unit 61 that detects whether the subject S's face has moved away from a predetermined position by detecting whether the subject S's chin has moved away from the chin placement position, and the forehead detection unit 62 that detects whether the subject S's face has moved away from a predetermined position by detecting whether the subject S's forehead has moved away from the forehead placement position. This makes it easy to detect whether the subject S has moved his or her face (head) based on at least one of the position of the subject S's chin and the position of the forehead. Therefore, when movement of the subject S's face is detected, the sample collection operation by the slave robot 10 can be easily stopped, and it is possible to prevent sample collection from being performed appropriately from the face, such as the nasal cavity.

In addition, in this embodiment, as described above, the face detection unit 60 includes both the chin detection unit 61 and the forehead detection unit 62, and detects that the face of the subject S has moved away from a predetermined position based on at least one of the detection by the chin detection unit 61 that the chin of the subject S has moved away from the chin placement position and the detection by the forehead detection unit 62 that the forehead of the subject S has moved away from the forehead placement position. In this way, by detecting both the position of the chin and the position of the forehead of the subject S, the face detection unit 60 can detect that the face has moved (moved away from a predetermined position) even when not only the position of the face of the subject S but also the angle of the face (the positional relationship from the forehead to the chin) has changed. Therefore, when a sample collection operation is being performed from the subject S, if the angle of the face is changed, the sample collection operation of the slave robot 10 can be stopped. As a result, even if the angle of the face of the subject S is changed, it is possible to effectively prevent the sample collection from being performed appropriately from the subject S.

In addition, in this embodiment, as described above, the chin detection unit 61 includes a reflective optical sensor (first optical sensor) that detects whether the chin of the subject S has moved away from the chin placement position in a non-contact manner, and the forehead detection unit 62 includes a reflective optical sensor (second optical sensor) that detects whether the forehead of the subject S has moved away from the forehead placement position in a non-contact manner. Here, when detecting movement (movement) by directly contacting the face (chin and forehead) of the subject S, it is necessary to clean (disinfect) the chin detection unit 61 and the forehead detection unit 62 that have come into contact with the face of the subject S every time a sample is collected from the subject S. In contrast, in this embodiment, both the chin detection unit 61 and the forehead detection unit 62 detect the movement of the face (head) of the subject S in a non-contact manner, so that the effort of cleaning the chin detection unit 61 and the forehead detection unit 62 every time a sample is collected can be reduced. In addition, since the subject S does not directly contact the chin detection unit 61 and the forehead detection unit 62, contact infection via the chin detection unit 61 and the forehead detection unit 62 can be prevented.

In addition, as described above, this embodiment includes the chin rest 51 that holds the chin of the subject S, and the chin detection unit 61 is disposed on the chin rest 51 and detects whether the chin of the subject S has moved away from the chin placement position where the chin of the subject S is placed on the chin rest 51. This allows the chin of the subject S to be held by the chin rest 51, so that the chin of the subject S can be easily fixed to the chin placement position. Therefore, by having the chin rest 51 hold the chin, it is possible to more easily prevent the chin of the subject S from moving away from the chin placement position. As a result, it is possible to more easily prevent sample collection from being inappropriately performed due to the facial movement of the subject S.

In addition, as described above, this embodiment further includes a shielding plate 103 that shields the slave robot 10 from the subject S. The shielding plate 103 has an opening 103a through which the specimen collection member 101 held by the slave robot 10 is inserted, and the chin rest 51 is disposed on the subject S side with respect to the shielding plate 103, below the opening 103a. As a result, since the shielding plate 103 is provided between the subject S and the slave robot 10, contact between the subject S and the slave robot 10 can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the chin rest 51 is disposed below the opening 103a through which the specimen collection member 101 is inserted, the part of the subject S's face above the chin can be disposed in front of the opening 103a. Therefore, the operation of collecting a specimen from the nasal cavity or oral cavity of the subject S can be appropriately performed while suppressing contact by the shielding plate 103.

As described above, this embodiment includes the forehead support 52 that holds the forehead of the subject S, and the forehead detection unit 62 is disposed in the forehead support 52 and detects whether the forehead of the subject S has moved away from the forehead placement position in the forehead support 52. This allows the forehead of the subject S to be held by the forehead support 52, and the forehead of the subject S can be easily fixed to the forehead placement position. Therefore, by having the forehead support 52 hold the forehead, it is possible to more easily prevent the forehead of the subject S from moving away from the forehead placement position. As a result, it is possible to more effectively prevent sample collection from being inappropriately performed due to the subject S's facial movement.

In addition, as described above, this embodiment further includes a shielding plate 103 that shields the slave robot 10 from the subject S. The shielding plate 103 is provided with an opening 103a through which the specimen collection member 101 held by the slave robot 10 is inserted, and the forehead support 52 is disposed above the opening 103a on the subject S side of the shielding plate 103. As a result, since the forehead support 52 is disposed above the opening 103a through which the specimen collection member 101 is inserted, the part of the face of the subject S below the forehead can be disposed in front of the opening 103a. Therefore, the operation of collecting a specimen from the nasal cavity or oral cavity of the subject S can be more appropriately performed while preventing contact by the shielding plate 103.

In addition, in this embodiment, as described above, the slave robot 10 is remotely operated to collect a sample from the nasal cavity of the subject S, and the control device 40 stops the sample collection operation of the slave robot 10 based on the detection by the face detection unit 60 that the face of the subject S has moved away from a predetermined position at least while the sample collection member 101 is inserted into the nasal cavity of the subject S. This makes it possible to stop the operation of the slave robot 10 when the face of the subject S is moved away from a predetermined position at least while the sample collection member 101 is inserted into the nasal cavity of the subject S, thereby preventing the sample from being properly collected from the nasal cavity. In addition, since it is possible to prevent the movement of the face of the subject S from being detected after the sample collection is completed, it is possible to prevent the interruption of the post-processing and preparation operations due to the detection of the movement of the face of the subject S when the post-processing operation of storing the sample collected by the slave robot 10 in a sample container is performed, and when the operation of preparing for the sample collection of the next new subject S is performed. Therefore, when collecting samples from multiple subjects S in sequence, the subjects S can be swapped while the slave robot 10 performs post-processing operations and preparation operations in parallel, thereby preventing an increase in the work time required to collect samples from multiple subjects S.

In addition, in this embodiment, as described above, the slave robot 10 includes a vertical multi-joint robot equipped with a hand unit 12 that grips the specimen collection member 101 and an arm unit 11 having multiple joints, and the face detection unit 60 detects whether the face of the subject S from which a specimen is to be collected using the specimen collection member 101 gripped by the hand unit 12 has moved away from a predetermined position. As a result, even when the hand unit 12 gripping the specimen collection member 101 is moved three-dimensionally by operating the arm unit 11 having multiple joints, the specimen collection operation of the slave robot 10 can be stopped based on the detection that the face of the subject S has moved away from a predetermined position. Therefore, by moving the hand unit 12 three-dimensionally, even when a specimen is collected from the nasal cavity or oral cavity of the face of the subject S, it is possible to prevent the specimen from being properly collected from the subject S due to the position of the subject S from which the specimen is to be collected being moved.

[Modification]
It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the claims, not by the description of the embodiments above, and further includes all modifications (variations) within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

For example, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the face detection unit 60 includes a chin detection unit 61 that detects whether the chin of the subject S has moved away from the chin placement position, and a forehead detection unit 62 that detects whether the forehead of the subject S has moved away from the forehead placement position, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the placement of a part of the subject S other than the chin or forehead may be detected. For example, a detection unit may be provided to detect the placement of the head (top) of the subject S.

In addition, in the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the face detection unit 60 includes both the chin detection unit 61 and the forehead detection unit 62, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to provide only one of the forehead detection unit 62 and the chin detection unit 61, without including both the chin detection unit 61 and the forehead detection unit 62.

In the above embodiment, the chin detection unit 61 and the forehead detection unit 62 are reflective optical sensors that detect without contact, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the chin and forehead may be detected by contact using a mechanical switch or the like. An image of the face of the subject S may be captured by an imaging unit such as a camera, and image processing may be performed on the captured image to detect whether the face of the subject S has moved away from a predetermined position. The chin detection unit 61 and the forehead detection unit 62 may be distance sensors that measure the distance between the chin and forehead of the subject S using light, radio waves, or ultrasound. In this case, when the distance between the chin and forehead of the subject S becomes larger than a predetermined threshold, a detection signal indicating that the chin and forehead of the subject S have moved away may be output. That is, the chin placement position and the forehead placement position may be placement positions that include a predetermined area (predetermined width).

In addition, in the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the chin detection unit 61 is disposed on the chin rest 51 and the forehead detection unit 62 is disposed on the forehead rest 52, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the chin detection unit 61 and the forehead detection unit 62 may be disposed at a position spaced apart from the chin rest 51 and the forehead rest 52, and the chin and forehead of the subject S may be detected by irradiating light from a position spaced apart from the chin rest 51 and the forehead rest 52.

In addition, in the above embodiment, an example is shown in which a shielding plate 103 is provided to shield the slave robot 10 from the subject S, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, it is not necessary to provide a shielding plate 103 between the subject S and the slave robot 10.

In the above embodiment, the chin rest 51 is disposed below the opening 103a on the subject S side relative to the shielding plate 103, and the forehead rest 52 is disposed above the opening 103a on the subject S side relative to the shielding plate 103, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the chin rest 51 and the forehead rest 52 may be disposed at the same height as the opening 103a. That is, the lower end of the opening 103a may be lower than the chin rest 51 and the upper end of the opening 103a may be higher than the forehead rest 52, so that the entire face of the subject S can be seen through the opening 103a.

In addition, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the slave robot 10 was a vertical multi-joint robot, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the slave robot 10 may be a robot other than a vertical multi-joint robot, such as a horizontal multi-joint robot.

In addition, in the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the slave robot 10 performs a procedure to collect a sample from the subject S, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the robot may perform a procedure such as a medical examination on the subject S using medical examination tools. For example, an ophthalmic examination may be performed by remote control while the face of the subject S is fixed using the chin rest 51 and forehead rest 52, etc., and the chin detection unit 61 and forehead detection unit 62 detect the movement of the face of the subject S.

In the above embodiment, the specimen collection operation of the slave robot 10 is stopped based on the detection that the face of the subject S has moved away from a predetermined position during the period from the time when the remote operation is started to the time when the remote operation is ended. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the specimen collection operation of the slave robot 10 may be stopped based on the detection that the face of the subject S has moved away from a predetermined position during the period from the time when the specimen collection member 101 is inserted to the subject S side through the opening 103a of the shielding plate 103 to the time when the specimen collection member 101 is moved from the shielding plate 103 to the slave robot 10 side after the specimen collection based on the operation information of the slave robot 10. In addition, the specimen collection operation of the slave robot 10 may be stopped based on the detection that the face of the subject S has moved away from a predetermined position after the time when the specimen collection member 101 starts to move toward the subject S, after the time when the remote operation is started.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Slave robot 11 Arm unit 12 Hand unit 20 Master robot 40 Control device 51 Chin rest 52 Forehead support unit 60 Face detection unit 61 Chin detection unit 62 Forehead detection unit 100 Robot system (specimen collection robot system)
101 Sample collection member (testing device)
103 Shielding plate 103a Opening S Subject

Claims (11)

a slave robot that collects a specimen from a subject using a specimen collecting member;
A master robot that remotely controls the slave robot;
A control device for controlling the operation of the slave robot;
A face detection unit that detects whether or not the face of the subject has moved away from a predetermined position,
The control device stops the specimen collection operation of the slave robot based on the detection by the face detection unit that the subject's face has moved away from the predetermined position. The specimen collection robot system according to claim 1, wherein the face detection unit includes at least one of a chin detection unit that detects whether the subject's chin has moved away from a chin placement position where the chin is placed, thereby detecting whether the subject's face has moved away from the predetermined position, and a forehead detection unit that detects whether the subject's forehead has moved away from a forehead placement position where the forehead is placed, thereby detecting whether the subject's face has moved away from the predetermined position. The specimen collection robot system according to claim 2, wherein the face detection unit includes both the chin detection unit and the forehead detection unit, and detects that the subject's face has moved away from the predetermined position based on at least one of the detection by the chin detection unit that the subject's chin has moved away from the chin placement position and the detection by the forehead detection unit that the subject's forehead has moved away from the forehead placement position. the chin detection unit includes a reflective first optical sensor that detects whether the chin of the subject has moved away from the chin arrangement position in a non-contact manner,
The sample collecting robot system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the forehead detection unit includes a second reflective optical sensor that detects whether the subject's forehead has moved away from the forehead placement position in a non-contact manner. a chin rest for holding the subject's chin;
5. The specimen collecting robot system according to claim 2, wherein the chin detection unit is disposed on the chin rest and detects whether the subject's chin has moved away from the chin placement position where the subject's chin is placed on the chin rest. a shielding plate for shielding the slave robot from the subject,
the shielding plate is provided with an opening into which the specimen collecting member held by the slave robot is inserted,
The specimen collecting robot system according to claim 5 , wherein the chin rest is disposed below the opening on the subject side with respect to the shielding plate. a forehead support portion for holding the forehead of the subject;
The sample collecting robot system according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the forehead detection unit is disposed in the forehead support unit and detects whether the subject's forehead has moved away from the forehead placement position where the subject's forehead is placed in the forehead support unit. a shielding plate for shielding the slave robot from the subject,
the shielding plate is provided with an opening into which the specimen collecting member held by the slave robot is inserted,
The specimen collecting robot system according to claim 7 , wherein the forehead rest is disposed above the opening on the subject side with respect to the shielding plate. The slave robot is remotely operated to collect a sample from the nasal cavity of the subject;
9. The specimen collecting robot system according to claim 1, wherein the control device stops the specimen collecting operation of the slave robot based on detection by the face detection unit that the face of the subject has moved away from the predetermined position at least while the specimen collecting member is inserted into the nasal cavity of the subject. the slave robot includes a vertical articulated robot including a hand unit that grips the specimen collecting member and an arm unit having a plurality of joints,
The specimen collecting robot system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the face detection unit detects whether the face of the subject from which a specimen is to be collected using the specimen collecting member held in the hand unit has moved away from the predetermined position. A slave robot that holds a medical examination instrument and performs treatment on a subject;
A master robot that remotely controls the slave robot;
A control device for controlling the operation of the slave robot;
A face detection unit that detects whether or not the face of the subject has moved away from a predetermined position,
The control device stops the treatment operation of the slave robot based on the detection by the face detection unit that the face of the subject has moved away from the predetermined position.

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