Autosteering vision endoscope

• US 20070015967A1
• Filed: 09/20/2006
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Banik, Michael, Boulais, Dennis
• Application Number:
  US11/524,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20070015967A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/146
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0005 combining images e.g. side-by-side, superimposed or tiled
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00147 Holding or positioning arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0016 using motor drive units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0052 Constructional details of control elements, e.g. handles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/015 Control of fluid supply or evacuation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/042 characterised by a proximal camera, e.g. a CCD camera
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0676 at distal tip of an endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0684 using light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/31 for the rectum, e.g. proctoscopes, sigmoidoscopes , colonoscopes

Abstract

A control mechanism for automatically steering the distal end of an endoscope into a body cavity. During advancement of the endoscope, the control mechanism directs the distal tip to be moved in a sweep pattern. Images obtained during the sweep pattern are combined and analyzed in order to determine the desired direction of advancement of the endoscope. The distal end of the endoscope is then oriented in the direction of the desired advancement direction. An autoexamination feature can be activated that automatically moves the distal tip in a desired sweep pattern. Images of a body cavity are obtained during each sweep pattern for analysis by the physician.

Claims

1. A method of examining a body cavity with a medical device including an elongated shaft that is inserted into the body cavity, an imager for obtaining images of the body cavity, and one or more control wires that are selectively tensioned by one or more actuators in response to signals from a controller that accepts manually input signals to tension the control wires and operates in an autoexamination mode that automatically tensions the control wires to orient the distal tip of the shaft in a repeating sweep pattern, comprising:

inserting the distal tip of the shaft into the body cavity;

advancing the distal tip to a point of interest in the body cavity by manually inputting signals to the controller to orient the distal tip;

activating the autoexamination feature of the medical device upon reaching the point of interest, whereby the actuators are controlled to selectively tension the one or more control wires such that the distal tip is oriented in a repeating sweep pattern until the autoexamination feature is deactivated by a user;

viewing images from the imager as the distal tip is being oriented in the repeating sweep pattern; and

manually withdrawing the shaft as the distal tip is being oriented in the repeating sweep pattern to complete the examination of the body cavity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the repeating sweep pattern is circular.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the repeating sweep pattern directs the distal tip towards all areas of a body cavity.