CONTROL APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD OF INSERTION APPARATUS, INSERTION APPARATUS HAVING CONTROL APPARATUS, CONTROL PROGRAM FOR INSERTION APPARATUS, AND CONTROLLING INTEGRATED ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT OF INSERTION APPARATUS

• US 20140288525A1
• Filed: 06/02/2014
• Published: 09/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: FUDABA, Yudai, TSUSAKA, Yuko, SATO, Taichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,827,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/500
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0016 using motor drive units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22001 Angioplasty, e.g. PCTA
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22014 the ultrasound transducer being outside patient's body; with an ultrasound transmission member; with a wave guide; with a vibrated guide wire not applied in A61B17/22012
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/301 for introducing or steering flexible instruments inserted into the body, e.g. catheters or endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/32 operating autonomously
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/066 Superposing sensor position on an image of the patient, e.g. obtained by ultrasound or x-ray imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0166 Sensors, electrodes or the like for guiding the catheter to a target zone, e.g. image guided or magnetically guided
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/01 Introducing, guiding, advancing, emplacing or holding catheters A61M25/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/423 Teaching successive positions by walk-through, i.e. the tool head or end effector being grasped and guided directly, with or without servo-assistance, to follow a path
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37569 Radiography in x and y, x-ray images
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39195 Control, avoid oscillation, vibration due to low rigidity
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40028 Insert flexible rod, beam into hole
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45118 Endoscopic, laparoscopic manipulator

Abstract

A control apparatus of an insertion apparatus in which a state specifying unit specifies a state of an insertion member to carry out vibration control depending on the state, thereby removing getting-stuck of a tip of the insertion member with a vibration having such a proper magnitude as not to cause an overload in a case where the tip of the insertion member is gotten stuck.

Claims

1. A control apparatus of an insertion apparatus configured to insert an insertion member of a catheter or an endoscope into a body lumen, the control apparatus comprising:

a tip movement information acquiring unit that acquires tip movement information indicative of presence of movement in the body lumen of a tip of the insertion member;

a non-tip area movement information acquiring unit that acquires non-tip area movement information indicative of presence of a moving operation in the body lumen of a non-tip area other than the tip of the insertion member;

a state specifying unit that, by using the non-tip area movement information acquired by the non-tip area movement information acquiring unit and the tip movement information acquired by the tip movement information acquiring unit,

(a) specifies as a first tip stop state for vibrating the insertion member, a case where the non-tip area of the insertion member is moved and the tip of the insertion member is not moved, and

(b) specifies as a second tip stop state for vibrating the insertion member more greatly than in the first tip stop state of (a), a case where the non-tip area of the insertion member is not moved and the tip of the insertion member is not moved;

an operation information generating unit that generates operation information about the insertion apparatus to execute the first tip stop state of (a) or the second tip stop state of (b) which is specified by the state specifying unit; and

a control unit that controls an operation of the insertion member based on the operation information generated by the operation information generating unit.

2. The control apparatus of an insertion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the state specifying unit specifies the first tip stop state of (a) and the second tip stop state of (b) by using the non-tip area movement information acquired by the non-tip area movement information acquiring unit and the tip movement information acquired by the tip movement information acquiring unit, and specifies as a state in which the insertion member is not vibrated, a case where the tip of the insertion member is moved regardless of the presence of the moving operation in the non-tip area of the insertion member, and

the operation information generating unit generates operation information about the insertion apparatus for executing any of the states specified by the state specifying unit.

3. The control apparatus of an insertion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the state specifying unit specifies the first tip stop state of (a) and the second tip stop state of (b) by using the non-tip area movement information acquired by the non-tip area movement information acquiring unit and the tip movement information acquired by the tip movement information acquiring unit, and

(c) specifies as a state in which the insertion member is vibrated more slightly than in the first tip stop state of (a), a case where the non-tip area of the insertion member is moved and the tip of the insertion member is moved, and

the operation information generating unit generates the operation information about the insertion apparatus for executing any of the states (a) to (c) specified by the state specifying unit.

4. The control apparatus of an insertion apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the state specifying unit specifies the first tip stop state of (a), the second tip stop state of (b), and the state of (c) by using the non-tip area movement information acquired by the non-tip area movement information acquiring unit and the tip movement information acquired by the tip movement information acquiring unit, and

(d) specifies as a second tip area movement state in which the insertion member is not vibrated, a case where the non-tip area of the insertion member is not moved and the tip of the insertion member is moved, and

the operation information generating unit generates the operation information about the insertion apparatus for executing any of the states (a) to (d) specified by the state specifying unit.

5. The control apparatus of an insertion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the operation information generating unit generates the operation information about the insertion apparatus in which a vibration of the insertion member is in an insertion direction of the insertion member and/or a rotation direction around the insertion direction of the insertion member in a case where the state specified by the state specifying unit is the first tip stop state of (a) or the second tip stop state of (b).

6. The control apparatus of an insertion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the operation information generating unit generates the operation information about the insertion apparatus such that a vibration in the second tip stop state of (b) has a vibration amplitude, a vibration cycle, or an advance ratio increased than a vibration in the first tip stop state of (a).

7. The control apparatus of an insertion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the state specifying unit specifies the first tip stop state of (a) and the second tip stop state of (b) by using the non-tip area movement information acquired by the non-tip area movement information acquiring unit and the tip movement information acquired by the tip movement information acquiring unit, and

(o) specifies as a first tip area movement state in which the insertion member is not vibrated, a case where the non-tip area of the insertion member is moved and the tip of the insertion member is moved, and

the operation information generating unit generates the operation information about the insertion apparatus for executing the first tip stop state of (a), the second tip stop state of (b), or the first tip movement state of (o) which is specified by the state specifying unit.

8. The control apparatus of an insertion apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a state transition storage unit that generates state transition information in which the non-tip area movement information and the tip movement information acquired by the state specifying unit are arranged in time-series order and stores the generated state transition information,

wherein when generating the state transition information, the state transition storage unit

(A) adds the non-tip area movement information and the tip movement information acquired by the state specifying unit to the state transition information in a case where a state acquired by the state specifying unit is different from a state acquired by the state specifying unit immediately before, and

(B) does not add the non-tip area movement information and the tip movement information acquired by the state specifying unit to the state transition information in a case where the state acquired by the state specifying unit is identical to the state acquired by the state specifying unit immediately before, and

the state specifying unit uses the non-tip area movement information acquired by the non-tip area movement information acquiring unit, the tip movement information acquired by the tip movement information acquiring unit, and the state transition information acquired by the state transition storage unit to

(e) specifies as a state in which the insertion member is vibrated, a case where a newest state in the state transition information is the first tip stop state of (a) and a last state in the state transition information is the first tip area movement state of (o),

(f) specifies as a state in which the insertion member is vibrated more greatly than in the state of (e), a case where the newest state in the state transition information is the first tip stop state of (a) and the last state in the state transition information is not the first tip area movement state of (o),

(g) specifies as a state in which the insertion member is vibrated more greatly than in the state of (f), a case where the newest state in the state transition information is the second tip stop state of (b), the last state in the state transition information is the first tip stop state of (a), and a second previous state is the first tip area movement state of (o), and

(h) specifies as a state in which the insertion member is vibrated more greatly than in the state of (g), a case where the newest state in the state transition information is the second tip stop state of (b), the last state in the state transition information is the first tip stop state of (a), and the second previous state is not the first tip area movement state of (o), and

the operation information generating unit generates the operation information about the insertion apparatus for executing any of the states of (e) to (h) specified by the state specifying unit.

9. The control apparatus of an insertion apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the state specifying unit (c) specifies as a state in which the insertion member is vibrated more slightly than in the first tip stop state of (a), a case where the non-tip area of the insertion member is moved and the tip of the insertion member is moved, by using the non-tip area movement information acquired by the non-tip area movement information acquiring unit and the tip movement information acquired by the tip movement information acquiring unit and

the state specifying unit specifies the states of (e) to (h) by using the non-tip area movement information acquired by the non-tip area movement information acquiring unit, the tip movement information acquired by the tip movement information acquiring unit, and the state transition information acquired from the state transition storage unit, and

(i) specifies a state in which the insertion member is vibrated more slightly than in the first tip stop state of (a) in a case where the newest state in the state transition information is the state of (c),

(j) specifies a state in which the insertion member is vibrated more greatly than in the state of (h) in a case where the newest state in the state transition information is the second tip stop state of (b) and the last state in the state transition information is not the first tip stop state of (a), and

(k) specifies a state in which the insertion member is not vibrated in a case where the newest state in the state transition information is the second tip area movement state of (d), and

the operation information generating unit generates the operation information about the insertion apparatus for executing any of the states of (e) to (k) specified by the state specifying unit.

10. The control apparatus of an insertion apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an insertion distance information acquiring unit that acquires insertion distance information indicative of a moving distance of the tip of the insertion member in the body lumen; and

an additional vibration information generating unit that generates additional vibration information to increase a magnitude of a vibration with a longer insertion distance based on the insertion distance information acquired by the insertion distance information acquiring unit, wherein

the operation information generating unit adds the additional vibration information acquired by the additional vibration information generating unit to information about a vibration to execute the first tip stop state of (a) or the second tip stop state of (b) which is specified by the state specifying unit, thereby generating operation information.

11. The control apparatus of an insertion apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the additional vibration information generating unit generates the additional vibration information in a case where the insertion distance information acquired by the insertion distance information acquiring unit is more than a first threshold and is less than a second threshold which is greater than the first threshold.

12. The control apparatus of an insertion apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an insertion distance information acquiring unit that acquires insertion distance information indicative of a moving distance of the tip of the insertion member in the body lumen;

an additional vibration information generating unit that generates additional vibration information to change a magnitude of a vibration based on the insertion distance information acquired by the insertion distance information acquiring unit; and

an insertion position estimating unit that estimates a position of the tip of the insertion member with respect to the body lumen based on the insertion distance information acquired by the insertion distance information acquiring unit and generates the additional vibration information depending on the position of the tip of the insertion member with respect to the body lumen, thereby outputting the additional vibration information to the additional vibration information generating unit,

wherein the additional vibration information generating unit outputs, to the operation information generating unit, the additional vibration information acquired by the insertion position estimating unit.

13. The control apparatus of an insertion apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the insertion position estimating unit generates additional vibration information to reduce a magnitude of a vibration with a longer insertion distance based on the insertion distance information acquired by the insertion distance information acquiring unit.

14. An insertion apparatus comprising the control apparatus of an insertion apparatus according to claim 1.

15. A method of controlling an insertion apparatus that inserts an insertion member of a catheter or an endoscope into a body lumen, the method comprising:

acquiring tip movement information indicative of presence of movement in the body lumen of a tip of the insertion member by a tip movement information acquiring unit;

acquiring non-tip area movement information indicative of presence of a moving operation in the body lumen of a non-tip area other than the tip of the insertion member by a non-tip area movement information acquiring unit;

by a state specifying unit by using the non-tip area movement information acquired by the non-tip area movement information acquiring unit and the tip movement information acquired by the tip movement information acquiring unit,

(a) specifying as a first tip stop state for vibrating the insertion member, a case where the non-tip area of the insertion member is moved and the tip of the insertion member is not moved, and

(b) specifying as a second tip stop state for vibrating the insertion member more greatly than in the first tip stop state of (a), a case where the non-tip area of the insertion member is not moved and the tip of the insertion member is not moved;

generating operation information about the insertion apparatus to execute the first tip stop state of (a) or the second tip stop state of (b) which is specified by the state specifying unit, by an operation information generating unit; and

controlling an operation of the insertion member based on the operation information generated by the operation information generating unit, by a control unit.

16. A computer readable recording medium recording a control program for a control apparatus of an insertion apparatus that inserts an insertion member of a catheter or an endoscope into a body lumen, the program for causing a computer to function as:

a tip movement information acquiring unit that acquires tip movement information indicative of presence of movement in the body lumen of a tip of the insertion member;

a non-tip area movement information acquiring unit that acquires non-tip area movement information indicative of presence of a moving operation in the body lumen of a non-tip area other than the tip of the insertion member;

a state specifying unit that, by using the non-tip area movement information acquired by the non-tip area movement information acquiring unit and the tip movement information acquired by the tip movement information acquiring unit,

(a) specifies as a first tip stop state for vibrating the insertion member, a case where the non-tip area of the insertion member is moved and the tip of the insertion member is not moved, and

(b) specifies as a second tip stop state for vibrating the insertion member more greatly than in the first tip stop state of (a), a case where the non-tip area of the insertion member is not moved and the tip of the insertion member is not moved;

an operation information generating unit that generates operation information about the insertion apparatus to execute the first tip stop state of (a) or the second tip stop state of (b) which is specified by the state specifying unit; and

a control unit that controls an operation of the insertion member based on the operation information generated by the operation information generating unit.

17. A controlling integrated electronic circuit of an insertion apparatus that inserts an insertion member of a catheter or an endoscope into a body lumen, the circuit comprising:

a tip movement information acquiring unit that acquires tip movement information indicative of presence of movement in the body lumen of a tip of the insertion member;

a non-tip area movement information acquiring unit that acquires non-tip area movement information indicative of presence of a moving operation in the body lumen of a non-tip area other than the tip of the insertion member;

a state specifying unit that, by using the non-tip area movement information acquired by the non-tip area movement information acquiring unit and the tip movement information acquired by the tip movement information acquiring unit,

(a) specifies as a first tip stop state for vibrating the insertion member, a case where the non-tip area of the insertion member is moved and the tip of the insertion member is not moved, and

(b) specifies as a second tip stop state for vibrating the insertion member more greatly than in the first tip stop state of (a), a case where the non-tip area of the insertion member is not moved and the tip of the insertion member is not moved;

an operation information generating unit that generates operation information about the insertion apparatus to execute the first tip stop state of (a) or the second tip stop state of (b) which is specified by the state specifying unit; and

a control unit that controls an operation of the insertion member based on the operation information generated by the operation information generating unit.