Endoscope Shape Detecting Apparatus

• US 20090030306A1
• Filed: 03/01/2006
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Oda, Tomohiko, Miyoshi, Yoshitaka, Sato, Minoru, Niwa, Hiroshi, Onoda, Fumiyuki, Aizawa, Chieko, Miyake, Kensuke
• Granted Patent: US 9,125,560 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/005 Flexible endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/009 with bending or curvature detection of the insertion part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• 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 5/065 Determining position of the probe employing exclusively positioning means located on or in the probe, e.g. using position sensors arranged on the probe

Abstract

A detecting apparatus includes: a change-over switch for switching on/off display of a scope model on a liquid crystal monitor; a position calculating portion for calculating respective positions of source coils; a scope model generating portion for generating a scope model of an electronic endoscope based on the respective positions of the source coils calculated by the position calculating portion; and a selector for selectively outputting to the liquid crystal monitor a display-pause-time image stored in a display-pause-time image storing portion and a scope model image from the scope model generating portion; and a control portion for controlling each of these portions. The detecting apparatus thus displays an insertion shape of the endoscope at a timing as needed.

Claims

1. An endoscope shape detecting apparatus, comprising:

a device detecting portion for, with one of a group of a plurality of magnetic field generating devices and a group of a plurality of magnetic field detecting devices being disposed inside an insertion portion of an endoscope to be inserted into a subject and the other of the groups of devices being disposed outside the subject, detecting respective positions of the one group of devices disposed inside the insertion portion by using positions of the other group of devices as reference;

a shape estimating portion for controlling the device detecting portion and estimating a shape of the endoscope insertion portion based on a detection result of the device detecting portion;

a model image generating portion for generating a model image of the shape of the endoscope insertion portion estimated by the shape estimating portion; and

an image display controlling portion for controlling display of the model image on a display portion.

2. The endoscope shape detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image display controlling portion is a switch portion for instructing to switch on/off display of the model image on the display portion.

3. The endoscope shape detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image display controlling portion controls display of the model image on the display portion based on shape of the endoscope insertion portion.

4. The endoscope shape detecting apparatus according to claim 1, comprising an endoscope image analyzing portion for performing image analysis on an endoscope image obtained by the endoscope, wherein

the image display controlling portion controls display of the model image on the display portion based on an image analysis result of the endoscope image.