Robotic endoscope

• US 20050107669A1
• Filed: 09/27/2004
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lucien Alfred Jr. Couvillon
• Original Assignee: Lucien Alfred Jr. Couvillon
• Inventors: Couvillon, Lucien Alfred Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,666,135 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/146
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00059 provided with identification means for the endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00103 designed for single use
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0053 using distributed actuators, e.g. artificial muscles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0055 Constructional details of insertion parts, e.g. vertebral elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0058 using shape-memory elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/2736 Gastroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0058 having an electroactive polymer material, e.g. for steering purposes, for control of flexibility, for locking, for opening or closing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

An endoscope is provided which comprises an elongated body adapted for insertion into a body lumen, and a plurality of electrically controlled actuators associated with the body which are controllable to impart an orientation to the body that is complimentary to the natural orientation of the lumen into which the endoscope is inserted.

Claims

1. An endoscope, comprising:

an elongated body adapted for insertion into an lumen; and

a plurality of electrically controlled actuators associated with said body, said actuators being controllable to impart a desired orientation to said body that reflects the natural orientation of the lumen into which the endoscope is inserted.

2. The endoscope of claim 1, further comprising a sensing system at a distal end of the elongated body for sensing the natural orientation of the lumen into which the endoscope is inserted.

3. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein said endoscope is adapted to maintain an orientation that is complimentary to the natural orientation of the lumen as the endoscope is advanced into the lumen.

4. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein said actuators are controllable to provide a desired curvature to said body in 3-dimensional space at each of a plurality of loci along the length of said body.

5. The endoscope of claim 2, wherein said sensing system is an optical system.

6. The robotic endoscope of claim 5, wherein said optical system comprises a light source and a camera.

7. The endoscope of claim 1, further comprising lavage and insufflation tubes.

8. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein said body is adapted to be manually advanced.

9. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein said endoscope further comprises a drive mechanism for advancing the body through the lumen in accordance with a drive algorithm.

10. The endoscope of claim 1, further comprising a depth gauge.

11. The endoscope of claim 1, further comprising a linear displacement transducer.

12. The endoscope of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of strain gauges.

13. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein said electrically controlled actuators are electroactive polymer actuators.

14. The endoscope of claim 13, wherein said electroactive polymer actuators comprise an electroactive polymer selected from the group consisting of polyaniline, polypyrrole, and polyacetylene.

15. The endoscope of claim 14, wherein said electroactive polymer is polypyrrole.

16. The endoscope of claim 1, further comprising a lubricious layer disposed on the outer surface of said body.

17. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein said elongated body is provided with a restoring force to bring it into alignment with its longitudinal axis, and wherein said elongated body deviates from such alignment when said actuators are in a contracted state.

18. The endoscope of claim 17, further comprising a plurality of structural elements, wherein said restoring force is provided by a plurality of springs disposed between structural elements.

19. The endoscope of claim 17, further comprising a plurality of structural elements, and wherein said restoring force is provided by an elastic cover disposed over said structural elements.

20. The endoscope of claim 17, further comprising a plurality of elastic structural elements, wherein said restoring force is provided by the structural elements.

21. The endoscope of claim 13, wherein said electroactive polymer actuators are attached to pairs of structural elements.

22. The endoscope of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of structural elements, wherein said structural elements are selected from the group consisting of (a) an open-mesh network comprising at least one metallic filament, (b) an interconnected network of articulable segments, (c) a helical structure comprising at least one metallic filament, and (d) a patterned tubular sheet.

23. The endoscope of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of structural elements, wherein said structural elements comprise a series of short tubes.

24. The endoscope of claim 13, wherein said electroactive polymer actuators are disposed on at least one sheet that is rolled into an actuator tube.

25. The endoscope of claim 24, further comprising a plurality of tubular structural elements, and wherein each of said actuator tubes is disposed outside or within at least one of said tubular structural elements.

26. The endoscope of claim 25, wherein each of said plurality of tubular structural elements is selected from the group consisting of (a) an open-mesh network comprising at least one knitted, woven or braided metallic filament, (b) an interconnected network of articulable segments, (c) a helical structure comprising at least one metallic filament, and (d) a patterned tubular sheet.

27. The endoscope of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of structural elements, and wherein said structural elements are disposed on at least one sheet that is rolled into the form of a tube.

28. The endoscope of claim 27, further comprising a plurality of strain gauges and actuators that are disposed on at least one sheet.

29. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein each of said actuators is connected to a controlling device by way of an individual cable.

30. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein each of said actuators is connected to a controlling device by way a multiplexed cable.

31. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein each of said actuators is connected to a controlling device by way of interconnection lines that are printed on one or more flexible sheets.

32. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein said endoscope is equipped with a manual steering system that is operated under image guidance.

33. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein said endoscope is equipped with an automated or semi-automated steering system comprising a lumen-center-seeking algorithm.

34. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein said body comprises a lead module and a plurality of subsequent modules, and wherein said endoscope is adapted to travel through lumen in such a way that, when each subsequent module reaches a position in the lumen previously occupied by said lead module, said actuators cause said each subsequent module to replicate the orientation of the lead module at said position.

35. The endoscope of claim 34, wherein data regarding said position is provided by a depth gauge of a linear displacement module.

36. The endoscope of claim 34, wherein data regarding said lead module orientation is provided by strain gauges disposed in said lead module.

37. The endoscope of claim 1, wherein the lumen is an intestinal lumen.

38. An endoscopic procedure, comprising:

providing the endoscope of claim 1;

and

inserting the endoscope into a body lumen while controlling said actuators to impart said desired orientation to the elongated endoscope body.

39. An endoscopic procedure, comprising:

providing the endoscope of claim 2;

and

inserting the endoscope into a body lumen while controlling said actuators to impart said desired orientation to the elongated endoscope body.

40. An endoscopic procedure, comprising:

providing the endoscope of claim 13;

and

inserting the endoscope into a body lumen while controlling said actuators to impart said desired orientation to the elongated endoscope body.

41. An endoscopic procedure, comprising:

providing the endoscope of claim 22;

and

inserting the endoscope into a body lumen while controlling said actuators to impart said desired orientation to the elongated endoscope body.

42. An endoscopic procedure, comprising:

providing the endoscope of claim 33;

and

inserting the endoscope into said intestinal lumen while controlling said actuators to impart said desired orientation to the elongated endoscope body.