Device for detecting shape of endoscope

• US 20060173289A1
• Filed: 08/22/2003
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Uchimura, Sumihiro, Onoda, Fumiyaki, Taniguchi, Akira, Aizawa, Chieko
• Granted Patent: US 7,706,859 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/009 with bending or curvature detection of the insertion part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/06 Devices, other than using radiation, for detecting or locating foreign bodies for removing same A61B17/50 ; determining position of probes within or on the body of the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/064 using markers A61B5/062 takes precedence

Abstract

Position detecting elements are disposed in an endoscope insertion portion at predetermined intervals. Even when the endoscope insertion portion is bent, position data representing the detected positions of the elements is used to infer or detect the shape of the insertion portion. A virtual element is disposed between adjoining elements so that a predetermined condition will be met. Position data of the virtual element is used together with the actually detected position data in order to interpolate data for the purpose of detecting the shape of the insertion portion. Consequently, as if a larger number of elements were disposed, the shape of the insertion portion can be detected highly precisely.

Claims

1. A shape-of-endoscope detecting system that:

has one of pluralities of magnetic-field generating elements and magnetic-field detecting elements disposed in an endoscope insertion portion that is inserted into a subject and that has flexibility;

has the other of the pluralities of elements disposed outside the subject;

detects the positions of the one of the pluralities of elements, which is disposed in the endoscope insertion portion, using position data of the other of the pluralities of elements by means of a detecting means; and

infers the shape of the endoscope insertion portion and displays the inferred shape on a display means, the shape-of-endoscope detecting system comprising;

a data interpolating means for based on the output of the detecting means, disposing virtual elements among the one of the pluralities of elements whose positions are detected, and for interpolating data, which represents a position between adjoining ones of the one of the pluralities of elements, using the position data items of the virtual elements.

2. A shape-of-endoscope detecting system according to claim 1, wherein the one of the pluralities of elements disposed in the endoscope insertion portion is magnetic-field generating elements.

3. A shape-of-endoscope detecting system according to claim 1, further comprising an estimating means for estimating the positions of the virtual elements using a condition such as distance information representing a distance between adjoining ones of the one of the pluralities of elements.

4. A shape-of-endoscope detecting system according to claim 1, wherein the virtual elements are disposed so that a predetermined condition will be met.

5. A shape-of-endoscope detecting system according to claim 1, wherein the data interpolation is executed by software.

6. A shape-of-endoscope detecting system according to claim 1, wherein the data interpolating means verifies whether the length between adjoining ones of the positions of the one of the pluralities of elements, which lie along an arc calculated to link the positions of the one of the pluralities of elements, falls within a range from an upper limit and a lower limit with the interval between adjoining ones of the one of pluralities of elements as a reference.

7. A shape-of-endoscope detecting system according to claim 6, wherein if the length between adjoining ones of the positions of the one of the pluralities of elements lying along the arc is smaller than the lower limit, the data interpolating means disposes the virtual elements at positions off the arc.

8. A shape-of-endoscope detecting system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a noise detecting means for selecting ac driving signals that have different frequencies and that are used to drive the plurality of magnetic-field generating elements, and for detecting a frequency component of a noise in a driving pause state in which the plurality of magnetic-field generating elements is not driven; and

a driving control means for driving the plurality of magnetic-field generating elements using the ac driving signals that have different frequencies and that contain a little frequency component of a noise detected by the noise detecting means.

9. A shape-of-endoscope detecting system according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of magnetic-field generating elements is disposed as the one of the pluralities of element in the endoscope insertion portion.

10. A shape-of-endoscope detecting system according to claim 8, wherein the ac driving signals having different frequencies can be selected from a plurality of groups of driving signals having different frequencies, and the noise detecting means detects an amplitude component of a noise whose frequency corresponds to each of the frequencies of each group of driving signals having different frequencies.

11. A shape-of-endoscope detecting system according to claim 1, wherein:

a plurality of coils is disposed as the one of the pluralities of elements in the endoscope insertion portion; and

an intermittently driving means is included for dividing the plurality of coils into a plurality of groups, and for intermittently driving the coils belonging to each group so that the driving timings at which the respective coils are driven will not coincide with one another.

12. A shape-of-endoscope detecting system according to claim 11, wherein if each group includes a plurality of coils, the plurality of coils is driven using driving signals having different frequencies.

13. A shape-of-endoscope detecting system according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of coils is also employed in auxiliaries that are disposed outside the endoscope insertion portion.

14. A shape-of-insertion portion detecting system that:

has position detecting elements disposed at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of an insertion portion that is inserted into a subject and that has flexibility; and

has a position detecting means for detecting positions of the elements; and

infers the shape of the insertion portion and displays the inferred shape on a display means, the shape-of-insertion portion detecting system comprising;

a data interpolating means for based on the output of the detecting means, disposing a virtual element between the positions of adjoining elements so that a predetermined condition will be met, and for interpolating data using position data representing the positions of the adjoining elements and position data representing the position of the virtual element so as to infer the shape of the insertion portion.

15. A shape-of-endoscope detecting system according to claim 14, wherein the data interpolation is executed by software.

16. A shape-of-insertion portion detecting system according to claim 14, wherein the insertion portion is an endoscope insertion portion having an illumination window, through which illumination light is emitted, and an observation window, through which a field illuminated with the illumination light is observed, formed in the distal section of the insertion portion.

17. A shape-of-endoscope detecting system that:

has one of pluralities of magnetic-field generating elements and magnetic-field detecting elements disposed in an endoscope insertion portion that is inserted into a subject;

has the other of the pluralities of elements disposed outside the subject; and

detects the positions of one of the pluralities of elements, which is disposed in the endoscope insertion portion, using the positions of the other of the pluralities of elements by means of a detecting means; and

infers the shape of the endoscope insertion portion and displays the inferred shape on a display means, the shape-of-endoscope detecting system comprising;

a noise detecting means for selecting ac driving signals that have different frequencies and that are used to drive the plurality of magnetic-field generating elements, and for detecting a frequency component of a noise in a driving pause state in which the plurality of magnetic-field generating elements is not driven; and

a driving control means for driving the plurality of magnetic-field generating elements using the ac driving signals that have different frequencies and that contain a little frequency component of a noise detected by the noise detecting means.

18. A shape-of-endoscope detecting system according to claim 17, wherein:

the ac driving signals having different frequencies can be selected from a plurality of groups of driving signals having different frequencies; and

the noise detecting means detects an amplitude component of a noise whose frequency corresponds to each of the frequencies of each group of driving signals having different frequencies.

19. A shape-of-endoscope detecting system that has a plurality of coils disposed in an endoscope insertion portion, applies driving signals to the plurality of coils, detects generated magnetic fields so as to detect the positions of the coils, and detects the shape of the endoscope insertion portion, the shape-of-endoscope detecting system comprising;

an intermittently driving means that intermittently drives coils, which belong to each of a plurality of groups into which the plurality of coils is divided, so that the driving timings at which the respective coils are driven will not coincide with one another.

20. A shape-of-endoscope detecting system according to claim 19, wherein if each group includes a plurality of coils, the plurality of coils is driven using driving signals having different frequencies.