METHOD OF CONTROLLING ENDOSCOPES, AND ENDOSCOPE SYSTEM

• US 20160353969A1
• Filed: 06/03/2016
• Published: 12/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: KIKUCHI, Satoru
• Granted Patent: US 10,441,132 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00006 of control signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00057 provided with means for testing or calibration
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00071 Insertion part of the endoscope body A61B1/0055 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0014 Fastening element for attaching accessories to the outside of an endoscope, e.g. clips, clamps or bands
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00154 using guiding arrangements for insertion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0051 with controlled bending of insertion part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0055 Constructional details of insertion parts, e.g. vertebral elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/045 Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3421 Cannulas
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2059 Mechanical position encoders
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/062 penetration depth
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0811 for the position of a particular part of an instrument with respect to the rest of the instrument, e.g. position of the anvil of a stapling instrument
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• 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: G02B 23/24 Instruments or systems for viewing the inside of hollow bodies, e.g. fibrescopes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2476 Non-optical details, e.g. housings, mountings, supports

Abstract

A method of controlling an endoscope includes,

• • inserting an insert part having an imaging unit at a distal end through the body;
  • making an imaging direction of the imaging unit variable by bending of a bending part,
  • wherein the bending part is included in the insert part;
  • detecting an amount of insertion of the insert part through the body; and
  • determining whether the bending part is to be bent or not on the basis of operation of a direction input part depending on the amount of insertion.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an endoscope comprising:

inserting an insert part having an imaging unit at a distal end through the body;

making an imaging direction of the imaging unit variable by bending of a bending part,

wherein the bending part is included in the insert part;

detecting an amount of insertion of the insert part through the body; and

determining whether the bending part is to be bent or not on the basis of operation of a direction input part depending on the amount of insertion.

2. A method of controlling an endoscope according to claim 1,

wherein the step of detecting the amount of insertion is an amount of insertion of the insert part through a trocar,

wherein the insert part is inserted through the body via the trocar.

3. A method of controlling an endoscope according to claim 1,

wherein the step of determining whether the bending part is to be bent or not includes whether the bending part of a plurality of the bending parts corresponding to the amount of insertion of the insert part through the body is to be bent or not,

wherein the bending parts included in the insert part.

4. A method of controlling an endoscope according to claim 1, comprising:

bending movement of a distal-end bending part interposed between the imaging unit and the bending part.

5. A method of controlling an endoscope according to claim 4,

wherein determining whether the bending part is to be bent or not includes bending movement of the bending part and the distal-end bending part on the basis of operation of the direction input part.

6. A method of controlling an endoscope according to claim 1, comprising:

making a magnification of an image taken by the imaging unit variable.

7. A method of controlling an endoscope according to claim 1, comprising:

bringing the bending part back, when an amount of insertion detected by the amount-of-insertion of the insert part through the body is within a given range upon withdrawal of the insert part.

8. A method of controlling an endoscope according to claim 1,

reducing an amount of torque acting on the bending part, when an amount of insertion detected by the amount-of-insertion of the insert part through the body is within a given range upon withdrawal of the insert part.

9. An endoscope system comprising:

an insert part configured to be inserted through the body, which has an imaging unit provided at a distal end and a bending part capable of bending movement to make an imaging direction of the imaging unit variable;

a control unit configured to implement an amount-of-insertion detection processing and a bending part control processing;

wherein the amount-of-insertion detection processing detects an amount of insertion of the insert part through the body, and

the bending part control processing is implemented on the basis of an amount of insertion detected by the amount-of-insertion detection processing to determine whether the bending part is to be bent or not on the basis of operation of a direction input part.

10. An endoscope system according to claim 9, further comprising:

a trocar configured to insert the insert part into the body;

wherein the amount-of-insertion detection processing is an amount of insertion of the insert part through the trocar.