APPARATUS FOR FLEXIBLE ELONGATE MEMBER, METHOD FOR FLEXIBLE ELONGATE MEMBER, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20150272684A1
• Filed: 03/19/2015
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: TSUSAKA, Yuko, FUDABA, Yudai
• Granted Patent: US 9,573,274 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 34/32 operating autonomously
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/37 Master-slave robots A61B34/35 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/77 Manipulators with motion or force scaling
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0116 self-propelled, e.g. autonomous robots A61M25/0122 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1633 compliant, force, torque control, e.g. combined with position control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39322 Force and position control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39343 Force based impedance control

Abstract

An insertion method for a flexible elongate member is used to insert the flexible elongate member into a tube while causing first and second holding units to perform an opening-and-closing operation for holding and releasing the flexible elongate member. The method includes acquiring information of a distance by which the second holding unit moves with respect to the first holding unit and information of an operation type used to distinguish between insertion of the flexible elongate member into the tube, stoppage of the flexible elongate member, and extraction of the flexible elongate member from the tube; generating operation information regarding an opened/closed state of the first holding portion and an opened/closed state of the second holding portion on the basis of the distance and the operation type; and controlling the insertion, stoppage, or extraction of the flexible elongate member on the basis of the operation information.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a flexible elongate member, comprising:

a first holding unit that is capable of holding the flexible elongate member by closing a first opening-and-closing portion and that is capable of releasing the flexible elongate member by opening the first opening-and-closing portion;

a second holding unit that is capable of moving with respect to the first holding unit, that performs an opening-and-closing operation independently of an opening-and-closing operation of the first holding unit, that is capable of holding the flexible elongate member by closing a second opening-and-closing portion, and that is capable of releasing the flexible elongate member by opening the second opening-and-closing portion;

an information acquiring unit that acquires information of a distance of the second holding unit with respect to the first holding unit and information of an operation type including information indicating insertion of the flexible elongate member into a tube, extraction of the flexible elongate member from the tube, or stoppage of the insertion and the extraction;

an operation information generator that generates operation information on the basis of the acquired information of the distance and the acquired information of the operation type, the operation information including information indicating whether to open or close the first holding unit and information indicating whether to open or close the second holding unit; and

an operation controller that controls the insertion, the extraction, and the stoppage of the insertion and the extraction on the basis of the operation information.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the insertion or the extraction is performed, the operation information generator generates, as the operation information, information including information indicating that the first holding unit is to be opened and the second holding unit is to be closed.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the insertion or the extraction is performed and when the second holding unit is moved while the flexible elongate member is held by the first holding unit, the operation information generator generates, as the operation information, information including information indicating that the first holding unit is to be closed and the second holding unit is to be opened.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when the insertion and the extraction are to be stopped, the operation information generator generates, as the operation information, information including information indicating that the first holding unit is to be closed.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the insertion or the extraction is performed, the operation information generator generates, as the operation information, information including information indicating that the first holding unit is to be opened and the second holding unit is to be closed after the first holding unit and the second holding unit are closed at the same time.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a master mechanism that acquires the distance as an amount of movement of the flexible elongate member; and

an insertion unit that moves the second holding unit linearly by a distance corresponding to the amount of movement by a driving operation of a drive device,

wherein the information of the distance is based on a position of the second holding unit at the insertion unit.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the information acquiring unit includes a distance detector that detects the distance,

wherein, when the operation type is the insertion, the operation information generator generates, as the operation information, information including information indicating that the first holding unit is to be opened and the second holding unit is to be closed at the time when the distance detected by the distance detector becomes greater than or equal to a predetermined first threshold, and then the first holding unit is to be closed and the second holding unit is to be opened to release the flexible elongate member at the time when the distance detected by the distance detector becomes smaller than or equal to a predetermined second threshold,

wherein, when the operation type is the extraction, the operation information generator generates, as the operation information, information including information indicating that the first holding unit is to be closed and the second holding unit is to be opened at the time when the distance detected by the distance detector becomes greater than or equal to the predetermined first threshold, and then the first holding unit is to be opened and the second holding unit is to be closed at the time when the distance detected by the distance detector becomes smaller than or equal to the predetermined second threshold, and

wherein, when the operation type is the stoppage of the insertion and the extraction, the operation information generator generates, as the operation information, information including information indicating that the first holding unit is to be closed.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a force detector that is provided on the second holding unit and that detects information of a force applied to the flexible elongate member; and

a determining unit that determines that stress is placed on the flexible elongate member or the tube when the information of the force detected by the force detector is greater than or equal to a threshold.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a first notifying unit that displays a result of the determination performed by the determining unit together with a captured image of the tube or the flexible elongate member.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a second notifying unit that emits a sound to notify a worker of a result of the determination performed by the determining unit.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein, when the determining unit determines that stress is placed on the tube or the flexible elongate member, the operation information generator generates, as the operation information, information indicating that the first holding unit is to be closed.

12. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a force transmitting unit that transmits a force to a master mechanism on the basis of the force detected by the force detector, the master mechanism being manipulated by a worker.

13. A method for a flexible elongate member, comprising:

acquiring information of a distance of a second holding unit with respect to a first holding unit and information of an operation type including information indicating insertion of the flexible elongate member into a tube, extraction of the flexible elongate member from the tube, or stoppage of the insertion and the extraction, the first holding unit being capable of holding the flexible elongate member by closing a first opening-and-closing portion and being capable of releasing the flexible elongate member by opening the first opening-and-closing portion, the second holding unit being capable of moving with respect to the first holding unit, performing an opening-and-closing operation independently of an opening-and-closing operation of the first holding unit, being capable of holding the flexible elongate member by closing a second opening-and-closing portion, and being capable of releasing the flexible elongate member by opening the second opening-and-closing portion;

generating operation information on the basis of the acquired information of the distance and the acquired information of the operation type, the operation information including information indicating whether to open or close the first holding unit and information indicating whether to open or close the second holding unit; and

controlling the insertion, the extraction, and the stoppage of the insertion and the extraction on the basis of the operation information.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a control program for causing an apparatus including a processor to execute a method for a flexible elongate member, the method comprising:

acquiring information of a distance of a second holding unit with respect to a first holding unit and information of an operation type including information indicating insertion of the flexible elongate member into a tube, extraction of the flexible elongate member from the tube, or stoppage of the insertion and the extraction, the first holding unit being capable of holding the flexible elongate member by closing a first opening-and-closing portion and being capable of releasing the flexible elongate member by opening the first opening-and-closing portion, the second holding unit being capable of moving with respect to the first holding unit, performing an opening-and-closing operation independently of an opening-and-closing operation of the first holding unit, being capable of holding the flexible elongate member by closing a second opening-and-closing portion, and being capable of releasing the flexible elongate member by opening the second opening-and-closing portion;

generating operation information on the basis of the acquired information of the distance and the acquired information of the operation type, the operation information including information indicating whether to open or close the first holding unit and information indicating whether to open or close the second holding unit; and

controlling the insertion, the extraction, and the stoppage of the insertion and the extraction on the basis of the operation information.

15. An apparatus for a flexible elongate member, comprising:

a first holding unit capable of holding the flexible elongate member; and

a second holding unit capable of holding the flexible elongate member,

wherein, when a first portion of the flexible elongate member is inserted into a tube, the first holding unit holds a second portion of the flexible elongate member without the flexible elongate member being held by the second holding unit, and then the second holding unit holds a third portion of the flexible elongate member without the flexible elongate member being held by the first holding unit, and

wherein a distance between first portion and the third portion of the flexible elongate member is less than a distance between the first portion and the second portion of the flexible elongate member.