KR101559132B1 - Portable endoscope system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a camera having an end provided with a camera and an illumination, a head provided on the opposite side of the end, an actuator incorporated in the head for bending the end, and an actuator incorporated in the head for controlling the actuator, An endoscope including a controller that is connected to the endoscope; And an intelligent portable terminal having a touch screen and equipped with an endoscope driving app and being electrically connected to the controller.

Description

[0001] PORTABLE ENDOSCOPE SYSTEM [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an endoscope system, and more particularly, to a portable endoscope system in which an endoscope operator can move while easily carrying.

Endoscopes are largely classified into medical endoscopes and industrial endoscopes, depending on the field of use. A medical endoscope is a medical device designed to directly observe and treat a lesion site of an organ without surgery or autopsy. These medical endoscopes include bronchoscopy, esophagus, stomach, duodenal, rectal, cystoscopy, laparoscopic, and other special cases include thoracoscopic, mediastinal, and cardiac. An industrial endoscope is a device designed to observe the interior of the device without disassembling the device in various industrial fields.

The endoscope system is composed of an endoscope, an image processing device, and other peripheral devices as described above. The image processing apparatus is for processing an image taken by a camera provided at an end of an endoscope and visually displaying it to a user.

Initially, the image processing apparatus adopted an analog method. However, in the analog image processing apparatus, since the image of the camera is stored as a film, many inconveniences have been caused. Therefore, most image processing devices are adopting a digital method at present.

However, since the digital image processing apparatus is bulky and heavy, it is almost impossible to carry it. Therefore, it is very difficult to use the endoscope system except for a specific place where the endoscope system is installed. In addition, the digital image processing apparatus has a problem in that it is very expensive.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2007-0104539 (Endoscopic Imaging System) Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2012-0133182 (Endoscope capable of data management of portable multifunctional patient image) Korean Utility Model Application No. 20-2012-0001758 (an endoscope camera connected to a battery charging port of a cellular phone or smart phone)

Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem [6] The present invention provides a portable endoscope system which is very easy to carry and which is inexpensive to solve the problems of the conventional endoscope system.

The present invention relates to a camera having an end provided with a camera and an illumination, a head provided on the opposite side of the end, an actuator incorporated in the head for bending the end, and an actuator incorporated in the head for controlling the actuator, An endoscope including a controller that is connected to the endoscope; And an intelligent portable terminal having a touch screen and equipped with an endoscope driving app and being electrically connected to the controller.

The head of the endoscope is provided with a mount for mounting the intelligent portable terminal.

After the electrical connection between the endoscope and the intelligent portable terminal and the execution of the endoscopic driving app, the intelligent portable terminal transmits power required for the operation of the actuator, the operation of the camera, the operation of the illumination, and the operation of the controller to the controller .

After the connection between the endoscope and the intelligent portable terminal and the execution of the endoscopic driving app, the intelligent portable terminal receives the current image, which is the image currently captured by the camera, from the controller and displays the current image on the touch screen .

At this time, the intelligent mobile terminal displays a zoom in / out icon for zooming in and out of the current image on the touch screen together with the current image, and when the zoom in / out icon is touched, the zoom in / To the controller.

When the current image is dragged, the intelligent portable terminal transmits a terminal bending signal to the controller to bend the end of the endoscope in the dragged direction.

In addition, when a point in the current image is touched, the intelligent portable terminal generates a marker at a touched point, captures the current image in which the marker is generated, and stores the captured image in its memory.

In addition, the intelligent mobile terminal displays a stored image read from a folder designated by the user on the touch screen together with the current image.

Also, the intelligent mobile terminal displays a page turn icon on the touch screen together with the stored image, and displays the other stored images in the folder together with the current image on the touch screen when the page turn icon is touched.

In addition, the intelligent portable terminal displays the on / off icon of the illumination on the touch screen together with the current image, and transmits the on / off signal to the controller when the on / off icon is touched.

In addition, the intelligent portable terminal displays an on / off icon of a sound recorder built therein by the touch screen together with the current image, and activates or stops the sound recorder when the on / off icon is touched.

According to the present invention, since the intelligent portable terminal equipped with the endoscopic driving app is used as the image processing device of the endoscopic system, it is very easy to carry the endoscopic system, secondly, the cost of the endoscopic system is very low, Nowadays, an intelligent portable terminal carried by anyone can be used for the construction of an endoscopic system.

In addition, according to the present invention, since the physical and electrical coupling / separation between the endoscope and the intelligent portable terminal can be easily performed, assembly and disassembly of the endoscope system is easy.

Further, according to the present invention, since the intelligent portable terminal can supply power required for operation of the parts incorporated in the endoscope, no additional power is supplied to the endoscope.

In addition to the above advantages, the present invention also provides a method for displaying a current image captured by a camera of an endoscope on a touch screen of an intelligent mobile terminal, a function for enlarging or reducing the current image, A function of capturing and storing the current image in which the marker is generated, a function of comparing the current image with a stored image, a function of turning on / off the illumination of the endoscope, and a function of recording the voice of the endoscope user Function can be performed.

The endoscope user can easily utilize these functions by touching or dragging the touch screen.

1 is a perspective view showing a portable endoscope system according to the present invention.
2 is a perspective view showing the inside of the endoscope head of the portable endoscope system shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 illustrates a touch screen of the portable endoscope system shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the portable endoscope system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It is to be understood that the terminology or words used herein are not to be construed in a limiting sense and that the inventor may properly define the concept of a term to describe its invention in the best possible way And should be construed in accordance with the meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention.

The portable endoscope system 100 according to the present invention can be used not only for medical use but also for industrial use. Hereinafter, it will be described in advance that the portable endoscope system 100 is used for medical purposes.

The portable endoscope system 100 includes an endoscope 110 and an intelligent portable terminal 150 as shown in FIG.

The endoscope 110 includes a distal end 112, a head 116, and a central portion 114. The distal end 112 has a plurality of joints, which can be bent in various directions. Also, although not shown, the distal end 112 has a camera for photographing the periphery and a light for irradiating light to the photographed portion of the camera. The head 116 is located opposite the end 112 and the central portion 114 connects the end 112 and the head 116.

The head 116 of the endoscope 110 is provided with a cradle 116a for receiving the intelligent portable terminal 150 therein. 1, a sliding type cradle 116a is shown, but the cradle 116a may be a grip type capable of holding the intelligent portable terminal 150. [

The head 116 of the endoscope 110 incorporates an actuator 130 and a controller 120 as shown in FIG. The actuator 130 includes a pair of motors for bending the distal end 112 of the endoscope 110 in the left and right direction and another pair of motors for bending in the forward and backward directions. The actuator 130 is coupled to the gear box 132. The gear box 132 is provided with pulleys (not shown) equal in number to the motors and bevel gears Not shown). The wires 134 are wound around the pulleys (not shown), which extend through the central portion 114 of the endoscope 110 to the distal end 112 and the pulleys (not shown) To pull or release the distal end (112). Meanwhile, the actuator 130 may be provided in a different form from the above, provided that the distal end 112 of the endoscope 110 can be bent back and forth, right and left.

The controller 120 is for controlling the actuator 130 and the camera and illumination of the endoscope end 112. The controller 120 is connected to the actuator 130 through an electric wire 126 to control the actuator 130. The controller 120 controls the cameras 130 provided at the endoscope end 112 and the electric wires Lt; / RTI > The controller 120 has a USB port 122. When the USB port 122 and the intelligent portable terminal 150 are connected by the USB cable 20, the controller 120 and the intelligent portable terminal 150 are electrically . The controller 120 also has a power port 124 to be connected to the power line 10. The power supplied to the power supply port 124 through the power line 10 is used for the operation of the controller 120, the operation of the actuator 130, and the operation of the camera and the illumination. The controller 120 may be a printed circuit board.

Meanwhile, the USB port 122 may be provided at the bottom of the cradle 116a to be exposed to the outside. In this case, when the intelligent portable terminal 150 is placed on the cradle 116a, the electrical connection between the intelligent portable terminal 150 and the controller 120 can be immediately established.

The intelligent mobile terminal 150 has a touch screen 152, and has an operation capability capable of installing and executing the endoscope-running application. It is also preferable that the intelligent portable terminal 150 has a wireless communication function so that the endoscopic driving app can be downloaded wirelessly. The intelligent portable terminal 150 may be a smart phone, a smart pad, or the like.

The touch screen 152 may be either of an electrostatic type and a pressing type. However, since the endoscope practitioner wears the sanitary gloves, when the touch screen 152 is of the electrostatic type, the sanitary gloves should use the touch pen or the glove capable of touching the electrostatic touch.

After the endoscope 110 and the intelligent portable terminal 150 are electrically connected as described above and the endoscope operating app is executed, the intelligent portable terminal 150 supplies power to the controller 120, The operation of the actuator 120, the operation of the actuator 130, and the operation of the camera and the illumination. Even when the intelligent portable terminal 150 is used as a power source, the controller 120 may be provided with the power port 124 as described above. However, if the battery charging amount of the intelligent portable terminal 150 is not sufficient It is because.

After the endoscope 110 and the intelligent portable terminal 150 are electrically connected and the endoscope operating app is executed, the intelligent portable terminal 150 displays the content as shown in FIG. 3 on the touch screen 152. Hereinafter, this will be described in detail.

First, the intelligent mobile terminal 150 allocates the current image sector 160 on the touch screen 152 and displays the current image 162, which is the image currently being photographed by the camera, on the current image sector 160 . To this end, the controller 120 continuously receives the current image 162 from the camera and transmits the current image 162 to the intelligent portable terminal 150.

The intelligent portable terminal 150 displays a zoom in / out icon 164 for zooming in and out of the current image 162 on the touch screen 152 together with the current image 162. When the zoom-in icon is touched, the intelligent portable terminal 150 transmits an image enlargement signal to the controller 120, and the controller 120 controls the camera so that the current image 162 is enlarged. Conversely, when the zoom-out icon is touched, the intelligent portable terminal 150 transmits the image reduction signal to the controller 120, and the controller 120 controls the camera so that the current image 162 is reduced.

The intelligent portable terminal 150 also enables adjustment of the bending direction of the endoscope end 112 by dragging (scraping the current image in a touched state) with respect to the current image 162. For example, when the current image 162 is dragged to the left, the intelligent portable terminal 150 transmits the left bending signal to the controller 120, and the controller 120 controls the actuator 130 ). When the current image 162 is dragged to the right side, the intelligent portable terminal 150 transmits the right bending signal to the controller 120, and the controller 120 controls the actuator 130 to bend the endoscope end 112 in the right direction. . The upward and downward bending of the endoscope end 112 is also performed in the same manner.

The intelligent handheld terminal 150 also allows the user to create a marker 162a in the current image 162 and capture and store the marker 162a in the current image 162 through an instantaneous touch of the current image 162. [ For example, when the lesion area 30 is displayed on the current screen 162 during the endoscopic examination, the intelligent portable terminal 150 generates a marker 162a at the instantly touched area, (162a) captures the generated current image (162) and stores it in its memory (not shown). At this time, the intelligent portable terminal 150 displays the number according to the generation order in the marker 162a. In Fig. 3, "1" is shown as an example of this number.

In addition, the intelligent portable terminal 150 displays the file open icon 176 on the touch screen 152 together with the current image 162. The operator touches the file open icon 176 to search for a desired folder and touch a stored image in the folder. Then, the intelligent portable terminal 150 displays the stored image sector 170 displayed together with the current image 162, And displays the stored image 172 on the display screen. At this time, the intelligent portable terminal 150 displays the page turn-off icons 174a and 174b on the touch screen 152 together with the storage image 172. [ When the next icon 174a is touched among the page turn icons 174a and 174b, the intelligent portable terminal 150 displays the next stored image located in the folder on the storage image sector 170 and the previous icon 174b, A previously stored image stored in the folder is displayed on the storage image sector 170. [ This function of the intelligent portable terminal 150 facilitates comparison of the subject's past endoscopic examination status with the current endoscopic examination status.

In addition, the intelligent portable terminal 150 displays the illumination on / off icon 166 on the touch screen 152 together with the current image 162. When the illumination on icon is touched, the intelligent portable terminal 150 transmits an illumination on signal to the controller 120, and the controller 120 controls the illumination so that the illumination of the endoscope end 112 is turned on. Conversely, when the light off icon is touched, the intelligent portable terminal 150 transmits a light off signal to the controller 120, and the controller 120 controls the light to turn off the light.

Here, the intelligent portable terminal 150 may display a slide bar (not shown) on the touch screen 152 to adjust brightness of illumination. In this case, the brightness of the light is achieved by dragging the slide bar. Alternatively, the head 116 may be provided with a separate button (not shown), and the brightness of the illumination may be achieved by operating the button (not shown).

In addition, the intelligent portable terminal 150 displays the recording-on icon 168 and the recording-off icons 168a and 168b on the touch screen 152 together with the current image 162. When the record-on icon 168 is touched, the intelligent portable terminal 150 activates the recording device built therein to record the voice of the practitioner and store the voice in the memory. When the recording-off icons 168a and 168b are touched, the intelligent portable terminal 150 stops voice recording of the practitioner. The recording-off icons 168a and 168b include a pause icon 168a and a stop icon 168b.

On the other hand, reference numeral 116b denotes a joystick. The joystick 116b is provided on the endoscope head 116 as shown in Fig. 1, and has front, rear, left, and right input buttons. When the endoscope operator pushes the input button, the corresponding signal is transmitted to the controller 120, and the controller 120 controls the actuator 130 according to the received signal. When the joystick 116b is provided, the endoscope operator can adjust the bending direction of the endoscope end 112 by using drag of the touch screen 152 or desired one of the joysticks 116b.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. It is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

100: portable endoscope system 110: endoscope
112: terminal 114:
116: Head 116a: Cradle
116b: Joystick 120: Controller
122: USB port 124: Power port
130: actuator 150: intelligent portable terminal
152: touch screen 162: current picture
164: zoom in / out icon 166: illumination on / off icon
168, 168a, 168b; Record on / off icon 172: Save video
174a, 174b: a page turn icon

Claims (11)

An actuator incorporated in the head for bending the end; a controller incorporated in the head for controlling the actuator, the camera and the illumination; Endoscopy; And
And an intelligent portable terminal having a touch screen and equipped with an endoscopic driving app and being electrically connected to the controller,
The intelligent portable terminal, which has executed the endoscope driving app in a state of being electrically connected to the controller,
A function of receiving a current image, which is a video currently captured by the camera, from the controller and displaying it on the touch screen together with a zoom in / out icon for zooming in and out of the current image;
A function of transmitting a terminal bending signal for bending the end of the endoscope in a direction in which the current image is dragged when the zoom in / out icon is touched,
And a marker is generated at a touched point when a point in the current image is touched, and then the current image generated by the marker is captured and stored in the memory of the endoscope. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the head of the endoscope is provided with a mount for mounting the intelligent portable terminal. The method according to claim 1,
After the electrical connection between the endoscope and the intelligent portable terminal and the execution of the endoscopic driving app, the intelligent portable terminal transmits power required for the operation of the actuator, the operation of the camera, the operation of the illumination, and the operation of the controller to the controller To a portable endoscope system. delete delete delete delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the intelligent portable terminal displays a stored image read from a folder designated by the user on the touch screen together with the current image. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the intelligent portable terminal displays a page turn icon on the touch screen together with the stored image and displays another stored image in the folder together with the current image on the touch screen when the page turn icon is touched. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the intelligent portable terminal displays the on / off icon of the illumination on the touch screen together with the current image, and transmits the on / off signal to the controller when the on / off icon is touched. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the intelligent portable terminal displays an on / off icon of a sound recorder built therein by the touch screen together with the current image, and activates or stops the sound recorder when the on / off icon is touched.

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