Patent ID: 6902405

Claim:
A simulator apparatus with at least two degrees of freedom of movement for an instrument that has an elongated shaft, said simulator apparatus comprising: a holding device for holding said instrument, said holding device being designed such that said instrument has at least a first degree of freedom of swivelling movement about a first swivel axis and at least a second degree of freedom of swilling movement about a second swivel axis, said second swivel axis running perpendicular to said first swivel axis, said holding device having a cardanic suspension, said cardanic suspension having a spherical element in which said shaft of said instrument is partly received, said spherical element being suspended such that it can rotate about said first swivel axis and about said second swivel axis, said cardanic suspension further being formed by a bow-shaped element that can be swivelled about said first swivel axis, and an annular element, connected to said spherical element that can swivel about said second swivel axis, wherein said instrument is guided on said bow-shaped element, two mutually opposite seats for said spherical element being fastened on said annular element and arranged offset by approximately 90° with reference to said second swivel axis, said spherical element being held in said seats such that it can rotate relative to said seats about an axis of rotation passing through both seats while it is immobile with reference to said seats perpendicular to said axis of rotation.