Design and principle analysis for electromagnetic brake clamping mechanism of a novel slave manipulator

Robotically assisted catheterization has attracted significant interest in recent years. However, few designs have taken the reasonable control of the clamping force into consideration. Additionally, limited research has been conducted in the damage of the clamping mechanism to the catheter. This paper presents a novel clamping mechanism for a slave manipulator that can be used in the minimally invasive surgery training system. The clamping mechanism utilizes the electromagnetic force which generated by the electrified coil to balance the pressure provided by the compression spring. Also the clamping force can be adjusted by the input current to prevent excessive clamping or inadequate clamping for the catheter. In addition, the modal analysis of the designed clamping structure is carried out. The results show that the modal frequency of the clamping structure is very small, so it does not resonate with the external excitation when the catheter is pushed forward. This clamping mechanism provides important insights into the design of compact and ergonomic robotic catheter manipulators incorporating effective and lossless clamping for intraoperative navigation.